The House of Cards
by SindeeDee
Summary: A month before Zuko's wedding to Mai, the gaang are invited to a vacation on Ember Island. A silent affair between Katara and Zuko unravels as the two struggle to extinguish a flame they thought had disappeared after the war.
1. Infrastructure

**SPOILERS FOR SOZIN'S COMET BOOK**

**DISCLAIMER: Avatar is the property of Viacom/Nickelodeon. I do not own any of the characters apart from the original characters introduced in my story. I am not making any money off of this story either.  
**

But just so everyone is clear, the story hardly mentions anything from Sozin's Comet at all other than minor minor details. But later on there will be certain elements from the story taken into account. Very later on.

AN: Okay, I cannot tell you how nervous I was and anxious I was about submitting and writing this story. My last story did far better than I could've ever imagined and I am so grateful for all the encouraging reviews I got. However, this time I went a little out of my comfort zone tries to write canon only and tried my best to be a little more "experimental" when it came to this story. That means attacking it in a totally different way and making up some stuff (that hopefully sounds credible). This first chapter is a little slow but I trust that it won't be so bad. It's also a very long chapter (I'm not very epic in my writing) so that's something else that's new.

This first chapter is from the perspective of Katara (aside from the prologue beginning) and the next will be from Zuko's (etc. etc.) . Their perspectives will alternate but I trust that it won't be hard to differentiate who's thinking from who.

I just want to thank Limnhere, Yurtletheturtle and Hollywoodland for helping me look at my story and for giving me wonderful feedback. Thank you guys so much, you have no idea how much your input means to me. It is always good to have a fresh pair of eyes and I'm thankful for you all!

* * *

**The House of Cards**

"_Forget about your house of cards, and I'll do mine."_  
_- __**Radiohead**_

**Chapter One: Infrastructure**

_One month ago  
Jian Yu Zhen, a town closest to the Boiling Rock_

Outside the Dancing Dragon, bitter winds tore through the streets and heavy rain smothered the cobblestone in a thick layer of water. It was barely past seven but the night was deep and a shroud of clouds hung over the town, covering the moon. No matter how much the wind howled or how loudly the rain beat against the windows, there wasn't anything nature could do to prevent the happy patrons of the Dancing Dragon from rejoicing.

Inside the bar, there were almost a hundred men and women, gathered in song and dance. It was clear that as long as there were free drinks, there wasn't going to be a sober soul left by the end of the night. A drunken man stumbled to the counter and lifted his cup. His head slumped onto a neighbouring bar stool. The bar tender sighed, smiled and then filled the man's cup half way.

The drunk took the cup then looked down at it. "Kuo...Excoos...m...e...you dint fillerr up."

"You've had enough. I was being generous...or was I being cruel?" Kuo the bartender replied, turning around. The man didn't protest any further and stumbled back into the crowd of dancers.

Kuo closed his eyes and smiled. _Thank you General Zhang._

He looked up when he noticed a breeze. The front door had opened. A cloaked figure gracefully strode in and took a seat at the end of the bar counter. The fabric of the cloak covered the stranger's face, and every other part of their body. The bar tender cautiously approached the stranger.

"Rough night out there huh? So...what'll it be?" He asked. The stranger shrugged and with a gloved hand, pointed at the same drunk who had stumbled off.

"You want what he's having?"

The cloaked stranger nodded.

"All right then," Kuo began to pour a foul smelling liquid into a cup. "Just so you know it's free tonight. General Zhang is treating the whole bar," the bar tender started, looking at the crowd. "Just as long as you don't overdo it like Zhi over there, you can have as much as you like." And as if on cue, Zhi tipped over and onto the floor.

Another drunken-but still upright-man appeared at the counter. The man extended his arm around the stranger and then put down his cup. "Friend! _Hic!_ Tonight...we are celebrating a noble man...and his noble woman!" The cloaked figure did not move or say a word.

Kuo sighed. "What Ming here means is that the Fire Lord is getting married. General Zhang ordered drinks for the whole bar to celebrate..."

Ming nodded excitedly. "Six years since the war ended...and in another two months we're finally going to get a Fire Lady!"

The bar tender smiled. "It's been a while since the Fire Nation has been truly this excited...but you don't seem to be from these parts, stranger."

The stranger shook their head.

A look of confusion appeared on the Kuo's face. "You are...or you're not?"

The stranger cleared their throat and it was clear that the voice belonged to a woman. "It's complicated. Anyway, do thank the General for the free drink...I'll be on my way. Ming." The stranger added, nodding at Ming.

"Wait!" Kuo cried. "It's raining cats and hog monkeys out there!"

The stranger tilted her head back, her face still unseen. "I think I'll manage." She gracefully pushed the door and disappeared into the darkness of the night.

Relaxing, Kuo turned back to Ming who was now...passed out on the floor. Maybe he hadn't been as sober as originally thought. But just as soon as the stranger left, the door flung open again. Two wounded soldiers tore through the crowd, crying for the General.

"What's going on?" A voice shouted from the back of the room. It was General Zhang. He moved toward the soldiers and looked at their wounded bodies. Burn marks were present on the clothes and it appeared that someone had used firebending to attack them.

"What's happened? Why are you hurt?"

"The princess, sir. She's escaped."

General Zhang's eyes widened in horror, "What do you mean _escaped_? She's been at the Boiling Rock for the last six years. Had she recently been moved?" His voice slightly slurred because of the alcohol.

"No sir…not to our knowledge." One of the soldiers heaved, clutching their side.

"We were contacted immediately by the Warden, but we couldn't stop her when we saw her on dry land." The other soldier weakly appended.

"We must contact the Fire Lord immediately. Azula could be headed to the Royal city right now."

* * *

The wind felt warm against Katara's face as she sat on Appa's back, staring into the ocean. The gang had spent many years like this. Traveling around the world on Appa, staring into the blue of the ocean on warm summer days, the wind blowing against their skin and carrying their hair. But there were many things that had changed. Sokka was married, and Zuko was going to be wed in a month. As cliché as it was, time had gone by too quickly for Katara.

The waterbender turned her head when she heard the familiar grunt of her brother stirring in his sleep. Slowly the Water Tribe warrior lifted his head and looked around groggily until he met the eyes of his loving wife. Suki smiled at her husband and motioned for him to lean on her. Sokka nodded and eased back, putting his arm around her. He took a deep breath and then turned to his sister.

"So we're finally going to see Zuko. How long has it been, anyway?"

"Six years." Katara replied.

"I can't believe Zuko's actually getting married." Suki said, quietly laughing. Sokka nodded in agreement.

Katara wryly grinned. "Neither can I. Zuko's pretty much impossible to deal with. I feel for his future wife."

Aang was at the front of the helm but managed to clearly hear what the group was saying. He tilted his head back. "Who is Zuko marrying again?" He asked, turning his head forward again.

"Mai." Sokka replied, digging through his bag. He finally pulled out an apple and began to eat it but Momo quickly ended this union by taking a large bite out of the apple. "Momo!"

"Mai?" Katara asked.

"She's that girl who throws the knives and hates everything. It's kind of hard to forget a person like that." Sokka added, avoiding Momo's teeth marks and digging in on another part of the apple.

Katara nodded. When Sokka put it that way, how hard was it to forget the face of someone who was once the enemy? "When is the big day anyway? Sokka, what did the letter say?"

Sokka shrugged and lowered his head, "I forgot. Lost the letter right after I opened it."

"Sokka!" Katara screeched. "What if we've already missed the wedding?" Her brother offered yet another shrug which set Katara's nerves on end.

"Relax Katara, I was just kidding." Sokka pulled out the letter from his carrier bag, and shoved it in his sister's face. "The wedding's in a month and we're going to spend some time at Ember Island anyway. I swear, it's like you don't have any faith in me." He rolled his eyes.

Annoyed, Katara pulled the parchment from her brother's grasp and inspected it herself. Finally, she relaxed and smiled. "Ember Island. Just like old times huh?"

Sokka nodded. "Just like old times."

* * *

Soon the gang neared the Capitol and the palace was in sight, even if it was still far away. Zuko had told the group to land at the edge of the outer wall and a team of servants would properly greet them. Sokka mused on the last time they had been greeted by Fire Nation soldiers but immediately silenced when a group of twenty men appeared from outside the gate.

Aang lowered Appa onto the ground then jumped down to greet the men. "Hi, we're here to see the Fire Lord."

Immediately the men bowed before Aang, which made him so uncomfortable that he took a step back.

One of the men stood up. "We were sent by Fire Lord Zuko to guide you to the palace. Please do take this palanquin. I think you will find that it is large enough to seat all your friends comfortably. Our men would be glad to serve the Avatar and his companions."

Aang nodded but looked to Appa sadly. "My air bison needs a place to stay and I don't want to leave him alone. Maybe I should go on Appa and then you guys can take the palanquin." replied Aang, looking to Katara for reassurance.

Before Katara could answer, one of the servants spoke: "Our stables have more than enough room for your bison, if you wish, some of our attendants can take your bison there."

"Are the stables close?"

"It is right behind the palace itself." The servant replied.

"Okay," Aang replied while rubbing Appa's nose, "Do you think you'll be all right with that buddy?"

"Mmrff." Appa replied, not seeming to object to the idea.

A servant from inside the city wall ran outside with a rope, but the airbender halted him before he could get any closer. "You don't need to put Appa on a leash. He knows how to follow you." The servant stepped aside and bowed in respect.

* * *

The palanquin was steadier than Katara thought it would be; she and Aang sat side by side while Sokka and Suki sat across from them. They were moving quite quickly and smoothly as the royal carrier passed by the city district and into the palace grounds. Townspeople walked out of their homes to watch the carrier pass by and merchants craned their necks to get a better look at the silhouettes in the palanquin. They were on their way to the royal palace but more importantly, they were on their way to seeing Zuko and Mai before the couple was to be married. It didn't seem so long ago that Aang had defeated Zuko's father, the Phoenix Fire Lord and when Zuko had taken his place on the throne.

_Six years_, Katara thought, _what's happened_? Light streamed in from the tiny crack in the curtains, and pooled in a small spot on the floor. Katara carefully observed the light, as it grew dimmer and dimmer, eventually dissolving into the red of the carpeted floor.

"It was nice of Zuko to send a carrier for us." Suki said, cheerfully. Suki was eight months pregnant and a lot smaller than she should have been. The Kyoshi warrior though a petite girl, exercised a lot and her abs held so tight that you could have sworn that she wasn't pregnant at all. However, where the appearance of pregnancy could be averted, this did not save Suki from mood swings and outbursts that sometimes made Sokka, hopeless and completely disoriented…just like any father-to-be.

Katara smiled._ Suki and Sokka are as in love as they were when they were first married._

"Well Zuko is the Fire Lord; he can do that kind of stuff. I mean we are traveling with the Avatar. Aang should get royal treatment wherever he goes." Sokka added, putting his arm around Suki.

Katara grinned and turned to Aang. He seemed to be asleep and his head leaned sluggishly against the wall of the palanquin. Katara put her hand on his cheek and slowly the Avatar's eyes fluttered open. "Are we there yet?" Aang asked, taking Katara's hand in his.

"Almost." The waterbender replied, smiling gently.

Aang returned her smile and pushed a finger through the curtain. Light flooded in, and the reddish golden hues of the palace, shone orange in the light of the setting sun. The four sat in awe as the carrier lowered and eventually met the ground in a graceful swoop. Mai and Zuko stood at the end of a carpet that extended to the bottom of the palanquin. Excitedly, Aang flew out from the curtains and into the sun while a nervous Katara, quickly followed. Sokka took Suki's hand and helped her out while she held her stomach carefully.

"It is with our honour to present the Avatar and his companions, Lady Katara, Master Sokka and his wife, Lady Suki." The four bowed courteously and the Fire Lord and his soon to be Fire Lady returned their greeting with a bow themselves.

Aang cautiously approached Zuko, but when he was no farther than a few inches away from the Fire Lord, he threw his arms around his friend just like he had done as a child. Sokka proceeded to give Zuko his patented "man-hug" and Suki followed with a gentle embrace. Katara stood behind them all and waited for her turn to greet Zuko. When she finally stood in front of his person, she noticed that much had changed about the once temperamental prince. His hair seemed to be lighter and was tied back in a topknot. His arms seemed stronger too but his hands appeared to be rougher than when he was a boy. However, they were the same slender and dexterous hands that had once tied her to a tree. And some how, it didn't bother Katara anymore that he had.

They looked at each other briefly before Katara, in her impatience, rushed toward Zuko and threw her arms around him. Never slow to react to Katara's hugs, Zuko put his arms around the small of her waist and closed his eyes.

"I missed you." He softly said into her shoulder.

"I missed you too Zuko." Katara replied.

* * *

As the group filed into the main hall, Zuko marched in front of them with Mai at his side. Katara consistently stole looks at Zuko's fiancé and wondered how the noble woman had gotten her hair the way it was. Katara had always been frequently asked on how she accomplished her hairstyle, but she was also curious to see how anybody else got their hair the way they wanted it. Eventually, Katara's continuous spying caught Mai's attention. Mai turned her head slightly and weakly smiled at the waterbender. If one could even call it a smile.

Katara anxiously smiled back but quickly realized that her face was aching from the strain. _She looks really...bored. And I'm not sure if that was even a smile…_

Suddenly Zuko stopped and turned to his right. "This is the dining hall. We'll be having dinner this evening. Which, should be soon." He continued forward until he stopped and turned to his left. " And this is the salon..."

"Ummm Zuko?" Aang asked, his voice quivering.

"What is it?"

"Where are the bathrooms?" the airbender managed, looking more and more uncomfortable by the second.

Zuko raised his hand and pointed down the hall. "They're at the end of the hall, to your left. It's the room with the big jade door. You can't miss it."

"Thank you!" And with that, Aang leapt up into the air and sprinted off on a cloud.

"We can wait in the salon while the cooks prepare our dinner." Zuko offered, looking to the rest of the group. The group then steadily turned around and walked into the salon's entrance.

Katara quickened her pace until she caught up with Mai. "Excuse me Mai if you don't mind me asking, how do you style your hair like that?"

Mai raised a brow. "Is that a serious question?"

Taken aback by Mai's comment, Katara looked away nervously. "Don't get me wrong, I do like it but I was just wonder—"

Mai smiled; which was something Katara couldn't remember her doing in the past, nor had it been something the dark haired woman had done since the gang had arrived. "It's a secret."

"Oh." Katara immediately remarked. Mai then sped up and took her fiancé's hand, leaving Katara behind with Suki.

Suki narrowed her eyes. "What's her deal?"

"I really don't know."

When they reached the salon, Katara noticed that it was larger than she had originally thought. Through the door it seemed to be a fraction of how large it actually was. It could've fit a whole entire army of guests...and the army may have very well _been_ frequent guests! The room was lavishly decorated with different pieces of artwork from all around the world. She surmised that a lot of the paintings may have actually been stolen by Fire Nation soldiers during the war, and were never properly returned.

"Zuko," Katara began, "are these paintings from the Water Tribe?" She pointed at a painting of the Northern Lights also known as the Northern Dragon. The Northern Dragon was a phenomenon that may artists in the Water Tribe portrayed in their artwork, and it was even more special because the North and the South both had their own lights. The lights were one of the many signs that showed that the North and South were connected to each other, even if they were a part. The painting Katara was pointing to seemed to be done in a traditional Water Tribe technique and seemed familiar as if she had seen it once before.

Zuko nodded. "Yes, but this painting will be going back to the Northern Water Tribe soon. A lot of the paintings in this salon were taken from places around the world. Some of the artists' families offered to let us keep them. But this one will be going home soon."

Mai sighed. "What a shame, I actually like this painting. I was hoping we could keep it." Katara couldn't help but be annoyed by Mai's monotone voice. Foolishly, Katara let out a small sigh. Mai looked at her. "Something wrong Katara?"

"Well it's just that the painting belongs to the Northern Water Tribe, so that's where it should be." Katara replied.

_She's not being vindictive. She's not being vindictive. She's not being vind-._

Mai shrugged. "Well if they want it back, it's going to be theirs soon enough." And with that, she walked away.

"Mai just likes the painting." Zuko said, quite suddenly.

Katara acknowledged that Zuko must have been carefully observing her, and he must've noted that she was offended by Mai's…enthusiasm.

_Defending her isn't going to make her words less annoying. _

"It's all right," Katara answered, "you should go back to Mai. I think Sokka's trying to tell her that he's going to be a father."

Zuko smirked. "Better get over there." He walked over to Mai and put his arm around her waist. Mai instinctively rested her head on his chest.

A part of Katara's mind lingered on Zuko and Mai. Eventually she came to the conclusion that Mai _was_ a good match, even if Mai was monotone and bored all the time. Sokka had told her how Mai had saved the day when he and the others escaped from the Boiling Rock. Katara laughed silently to herself. What was so hard about asking a waterbender for help on how to break out of a prison surrounded by water?

Behind her, Katara could recognize the warmth from Aang's body moving closer. He put an arm around her and rested his hand softly on her shoulder. "What's wrong?" Aang asked, grey eyes scanning her face for details.

She looked up at him and gently shook her head. "Nothing."

Aang smiled. "Good." He softly kissed her on the lips and slowly pulled back. Aang had grown in the years after the war. He was almost nineteen but still vibrant and energetic like he always had been. His playfulness was what inspired Katara to feel young again. Something she had forgotten to do for a very long time.

The other thing that had grown along with Aang's height (and deepened voice) was his relationship to Katara. It had started out with a simple kiss after Zuko's coronation, but had developed over the years. Katara was happy to say Aang was her first and only boyfriend.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. The head chef had walked in with a few of the servants. "Master Zuko, dinner is ready."

Zuko smiled. "Excellent."

When the gang approached the dining hall, they noticed that they were not alone. Hundreds of servants moved back and forth from the dining hall to the kitchen and at least fifty guests (generals, nobles and wealthy merchants) were already seated at the table. Katara could feel her jaw drop a little and her eyes glowed at the massive array of dishes that were ready to be served.

"Wow...this...is...heaven." Sokka squeaked. His voice was weak with excitement and his eyes expanded in absolute awe.

"Sokka, close your mouth or you'll get drool all over the carpet." Suki said, gently pushing her husband's jaw. "Truly a meal fit for a king, wouldn't you say Katara?" Katara however, didn't seem to hear her.

"Katara?"

"Huh? I mean pardon? Sorry. I'm just...amazed." Katara replied, an apologetic look on her face. Suki smiled.

"Zuko, I hope you didn't do all this just for us." Aang said, looking to his friend. The Fire Lord shrugged and put a hand on Aang's shoulder.

"Partly, but as soon as everyone in the palace heard the Avatar was coming they all wanted to see you." Zuko replied, then turning to the guests. "Aang, I'd like you to meet my subjects." Aang raised a cautious hand and grinned widely.

"Hello…everyone. I'm...uh...Aang…the Avatar."

The whole table stood up in applause. Aang smiled awkwardly then threw a nervous glance at Zuko.

"Uh...are they usually that enthusiastic?"

"Only for the Avatar."

* * *

After dinner, the guests and the gang sauntered back into the salon. Suki and Sokka casually engaged in conversations with many of the guests. Sokka would dazzle them with stories about his adventures with the Avatar and how he had saved his wife from a Fire Nation prison. Aang was in a corner of the room impressing children and girls with his bending skills. Katara stood close by and watched as Aang molded impressive ice sculptures for the children. Out of the corner of her eye, Katara noticed that a servant was speaking to Zuko. After a few minutes, the servant walked out of the room with Zuko trailing after him.

Curiosity was one of the many things that got Katara into trouble, but she couldn't help but wonder where Zuko had gone off to. She got up and walked into the hallway, wondering which direction Zuko had wandered in. There was a faint scent of tobacco in the air. Slowly, she walked up the winding stairs where the smell of tobacco thickened and the air was colder. She noticed an open door and the light that was spilling into the hall, from the inside.

Carefully, Katara approached the room and she saw the familiar silhouette of the Fire Lord. She quietly walked toward him and noticed that he was holding a narrow silver pipe to his lips, dragging in and exhaling. Zuko seemed to realize that he wasn't alone and quickly concealed the pipe. He turned around.

"Katara?"

"I can still smell the tobacco you know," Katara said, moving onto the balcony.

Zuko sighed and revealed the pipe, taking yet another drag from the tip. "I thought you were Mai." He paused. "But you may just be worse."

"I didn't know you smoked." Katara knew her voice rung with condescension but she hoped that Zuko wouldn't notice it.

But he did.

"I didn't know you cared." Zuko shrugged and exhaled another plume of smoke.

The waterbender breathed deeply and moved toward the railing to rest her arms. "I think you know I do. But I'm more curious to know why you started, or when you did."

"Well," Zuko began, exhaling smoke, "it started when my crazy sister broke out of jail and has been a regular occurrence ever since. I think that's self-explanatory."

Katara's blue eyes widened in alarm. "Azula escaped? But how?"

"I don't know. Nobody does. She broke out a month ago and nobody has heard about her since. Nobody can find her either. I'm not even sure what her method of escape was. Even under heavy surveillance, Azula was able to break out undetected. She was always a step ahead of me, and she still is." Zuko replied. He closed his eyes and sighed with frustration.

The pale light of the moon shone against Zuko and illuminated his face. The Fire Lord looked much older than when Katara had last seen him. His eyes were wrought with melancholy and his worry had caused his skin to look taut and sallow. But no matter how sad his face was, he was as handsome as she remembered.

"Then again, it's not entirely _impossible_ to escape from the Boiling Rock." Zuko mused.

Katara laughed and then turned her attention to the night sky. The moon was full and crickets were chirping. She then noticed that Zuko was still looking at her.

"What?" Katara asked, turning to him.

"It's just…really nice seeing everyone after so long. I think the last time I saw Sokka was when he got married to Suki."

"Three years ago. Sokka got so drunk that he couldn't stand and kept on asking for a giant mushroom." Katara replied, quite dryly. It wasn't uncommon for her brother to be a complete idiot, after all. "Why didn't Mai come?"

"We were having…problems at that time." Zuko answered. His voice was distant.

The waterbender sensed Zuko's agitation and decided to change the subject. "It's really nice being back in the Fire Nation. I missed it."

"You're not wearing your Fire Nation clothes though, aren't you worried about getting caught?"

Katara quietly snickered. "I guess I wouldn't want to be captured by the Fire Lord, would I?"

Zuko met Katara's eyes. "But here you are."

They were silent for a minute before Katara spoke again. "We'll find Azula. If you need our help, we're glad to give it. I mean Aang's the Avatar after all."

"But he isn't omniscient," Zuko said, putting his pipe away. "I tracked Aang for years, shouldn't I be good at this?"

Katara lightly put her hand on Zuko's shoulder. "But Azula isn't Aang. It's a bit harder to find someone when they aren't in the middle of the sky on a large flying mammal." Zuko tightly smiled but rested his head on her hand.

"Zuko...?" Katara and Zuko turned around to see that Mai had walked onto the balcony. "Katara." Mai added, nodding at the waterbender.

"Oh, hello Mai." Katara anxiously replied. She swiftly removed her hand from Zuko's shoulder.

"I was looking for you in the salon and couldn't find you. I thought you said you would come back after Yin's important news. Is there something wrong?" Mai asked.

Zuko shook his head and put his arms around his fiancé. "It's nothing."

Mai frowned and lightly pushed away from the Fire Lord's embrace. "You smell like smoke again. Zuko, I thought you said that you weren't going to make smoking a habit."

"I know...I know...the linens will—"

"It's not just the linens Zuko. Come back inside, General Fung wants to speak to you." Mai took Zuko's hand and lead him inside.

"Of course. I'll talk to you later, Katara." Zuko said, craning his neck back.

"Okay." Katara replied. She then turned again to the night sky and allowed herself to drown in the silence of the dark.

* * *

And now for some trivia!! "Jian Yu Zhen" is pinyin for "prison town" in Chinese. And oh my gawsh, Zuko smoking? Is she out of her mind? For the record, I hope no one thinks I'm trying to make Mai out to be the bad guy because she really isn't! And, everyone shall see very soon why she isn't.


	2. Death's First Move

Caution: Minor spoilers for the Sozin's Comet book.

SORRY FOR THE LONG WAIT. Anyway, in my next installment of the House of Cards...things heat up. Now for all Zutara fans who are not convinced this story is Zutara...you may not be anymore convinced when you read this. It may seem a little heavy on the Maiko at first but please trudge on! The Maiko will be...not that hard to get through but for realism's sake I'm taking some time. But, not too much time.

A big thanks goes out to Limnhere, Yurtleturle and Hollywoodland for helping me read through this chapter and giving their constructive input. It really means a lot to me and I'm glad I have all your help.

Terminology:  
Congee- Rice porridge. It's a breakfast food but can be eaten at any time of the day and mixed with different things.

Pickled Tofu- Preserved tofu that has the consistency of soft cheese.

"**Fall off the table, and get swept under."**

- **Radiohead**

Chapter Two:

**Death's First Move**

In the morning, Zuko awoke to see his fiancé, sitting at her vanity. Her hair was already fixed and she was now painting her nails in a coat of mahogany polish. Sitting up, Zuko immediately felt dizzy and his body felt cold. The linens, to no surprise, smelled like smoke.

"Morning." Mai said, smiling into the mirror. Zuko returned the smile and slowly walked toward her.

"Morning." He leaned over and kissed her passionately on the lips. His hair fell in front of his face and covered Mai's eyes.

"Your hair is in my eyes, Zuko." Mai remarked, pulling away then taking Zuko's hand.

Zuko snorted, "I'm not getting it cut if that's what you're asking."

"I'm not asking anything." Mai replied, closing the bottle of polish.

Zuko nodded then walked into his dressing room. He looked at all the clothes he'd been given over the years. The royal garment makers went insane over preparing clothes for him, but he hardly wore them. He looked around for a while and decided that casual clothes would be fine to wear.

"So…" Mai said.

"Yes dear?" Zuko replied, raising his voice a little.

"That Katara is quite…different."

The Fire Lord raised a curious brow, and pulled loose shirt over his head. "What do you mean?" He asked, reaching for his trousers.

"You know, _different._"

Zuko walked out from the dressing room and stared at his fiancé. "I don't think I do. Explain?"

"She's…different."

The Fire Lord wrinkled his nose in confusion. "That doesn't really make it any clearer."

Mai turned around in her chair and looked up at Zuko's face. "Never mind. Anyway, if she's getting you to quit smoking I'd be completely indebted to her." She turned around again and ran a hand through the base of her hair.

Zuko sat down on the bed again. "The bed sheets do smell like smoke." Zuko said, picking at the sheet underneath him.

Mai got up and walked to him. She cupped his face and sighed. "I just don't want you to be upset over Azula's escape. We'll find her, someone will. The Avatar is right here, you could ask for his help."

Zuko turned away. "I can't always ask Aang for favours. And this one…is kind of a big one."

"Well when you decide—tell me. I'm tired of sleeping on an ashtray." Mai bent down and pecked Zuko on the cheek, then preceded to leave the room.

The Fire Lord sighed. "You know, it's only been a month…Mai?"

When Zuko walked into the hallway he noticed that Aang and Katara were standing by a window. Aang's hands were at her waist, and Katara's arms were gently rested on top of Aang's broad shoulders. _She never could've done that six years ago. I'd better get going before they_—

"Zuko!"

Zuko turned around.

"Good Morning Aang, morning Katara." He nervously lifted his arm in a wave.

Katara's blushed and lowered her arms. "Good morning."

"Going to breakfast now?" Aang asked, letting his hands drop from Katara's sides.

"Yeah," the Fire Lord replied, "I was hoping to get to the bacon before Sokka did."

"You're too late," Katara started, "He went down fifteen minutes ago."

"Well if I'm lucky, he's spared the eggs."

* * *

In the morning, the dining hall was surprisingly more beautiful than it was during the night. A wall of large windows allowed the light to stream in, and there was also a door to the gardens at the back of the palace. Sometimes after breakfast, Zuko and Mai would take a stroll outside and sip lemonade until it was brunch but this was only on the occasions when he didn't have any work to do.

Zuko walked into the dining hall and first noticed Sokka and Suki seated at the back corner of the table. Sokka's plate was spilling at the sides (not a surprise) and he seemed eager to finish and get more. Suki's plate was also full, but it was reasonable since _she_ was the one who was carrying their child. Placed in front of them was a large bowl of congee and rice, a plate of eggs and bacon and small platter of pickled tofu.

"You know Sokka, you can chew your food before you swallow. It tends to help when eating." Zuko said, taking a seat in front of Suki. "Have you seen—"

"Mai?" Suki replied, pouring tea for Zuko.

"Yes."

"She went into the garden. I think Sokka scared her." Suki answered, putting the teapot down. "Good morning Katara. Good morning Aang."

Zuko turned his head, and then turned back to Suki. "She's really not that easily scared."

"Sokka, you do know that chewing is a critical part of eating right?" Katara immediately remarked, pulling out a chair and taking the seat beside Suki.

Sokka looked up and glared at his younger sister. "Thanks sis, but the Fire Lord's already said that."

Katara rolled her eyes and looked at Zuko. "Great minds must think alike."

"Dumb ones can too."

"Can it Sokka." Katara retorted. "Anyway, Suki's supposed to be the one eating for two. I'd like to see your excuse."

Sokka shrugged. "Husbands can go through the same stages of pregnancy as his wife. Her pain is mine."

Suki rolled her eyes and scowled. "Uh-huh, until the giving birth process that is." The table erupted with laughter.

Katara madly grinned while she picked up a bit of pickled tofu with her chopsticks. She then placed it in Aang's bowl and then a bit in her own. Zuko carefully watched as Katara attended to Aang's plate until Katara looked up and glared at him.

"Yes?" She asked.

Zuko snapped his head back and stuffed rice into his mouth. _Can't expect an answer when my mouth's full, can she?_

Katara relented and went onto eating.

"Have you seen the garden Katara?" Suki asked, putting a spoonful of congee in her mouth.

"Not yet. I was hoping that Zuko could give us a tour of the palace gardens…it _is_ a nice day after all. It seems to be sunny and cool." Katara answered, politely wiping the edges of her mouth with her napkin.

Suddenly there was the sound of a door closing. "Ugh."

The gang turned and noticed that Mai had walked in from garden. "It's so sunny outside that it's practically blinding. And it's frigidly cold too. Why is every day so…oh-" Mai paused and stared blankly at the group sitting around the table. "Good morning."

Zuko noticed Katara's jaw drop slightly but instead of commenting on it, he quickly stood up to pull a chair out for Mai.

"Thank you Zuko." Mai replied, taking a seat beside him.

"So about that tour?" Aang asked.

"I can show you around after breakfast if you like."

"What tour?" Mai asked, picking up a pair of chopsticks.

"Katara asked if I could show everyone around the garden." Zuko responded, nodding in Katara's direction.

"But it's freezing." Mai instantly replied.

"Me and Sokka are used to cold weather, so we'll be fine. Suki and Aang don't really mind either. But if it's too cold for you, we'd be glad to just go on our own." Katara said, spooning congee into her bowl.

Mai narrowed her eyes slightly. "That's all right. I'll manage."

* * *

As promised, Zuko brought the gang outside to the garden after breakfast. This time Mai brought a parasol and shawl.

"Mai if you're cold, you don't have to come along. The garden is pretty big, so we may be out here for a while." Zuko said, rubbing Mai's shoulders with his hands.

"I'm fine. The garden isn't _that _big. I can manage and you know that."

Zuko turned away and rolled his eyes. _I hope she didn't see that, _Zuko immediately thought.

"Please don't roll your eyes at me." Mai snapped, taking Zuko's arm.

_I expected that. _

In the garden, all of the flowers and hedges had been specially carved and planted by famous artisans and gardeners. Statues of goddesses, gods and a lady with a painted face and bamboo hat stood erect in the middle of fountains and hedges while the blossomed cherry trees made the garden radiate in a warm pink glow. Zuko stopped at the pond near the back of the garden, then reached for a bag of breadcrumbs by a rock.

A duckling waddled onto dry land and stumbled toward Katara. Katara reached out her hand and the duckling stared at it. Zuko walked over and handed her the bag of crumbs. She thanked him then sprinkled some on her hand. Cautiously, the duckling began to peck lightly at her palm. Katara giggled.

"Your garden is beautiful Zuko." Aang said, taking a long look around. "It's changed a lot since the war ended."

"We hired a lot of people to help make the garden bigger and to plant more flowers. That's all. We also gave the ducklings more swimming room." Zuko put his arm around Mai.

"Fire Lord Zuko!" The group turned around and saw that a servant had run out of the palace. He was panting loudly and he looked like he might collapse from exhaustion.

"What's happened?" Zuko replied, swiftly walking over.

"Your sister… the Princess…her body has been found your majesty."

Zuko's eyes glossed over and his jaw fell. "What?"

"Please follow me." The servant quickly sprinted back inside with Zuko running after him.

* * *

Azula's body arrived in a narrow coffin later in the afternoon. Zuko scheduled a funeral to be held in the evening.

Zuko had never liked his sister, but as a brother he did _love_ her. His intention was never find her dead but to just find her…and stop her from wreaking havoc on the country. He had asked for her coffin to be placed at the front of the room, in a small house behind the palace. Zuko waited alone for dusk to arrive, and stared at the box.

Slowly, he walked toward his sister. The lid was opened, and he could see her face clearly. There wasn't any doubt that the face was that of Azula's. However, she seemed so alive that Zuko could've sworn she would've reanimated herself and attacked him right there. But she didn't, and wouldn't because she was gone.

_Gone._ The word stung Zuko's mind.

He knew there was a chance he would've seen his sister die eventually, but by then he would've hoped that he had gotten the courage to reach out to her and fix their relationship. If it meant taking her from prison, and trusting her, he would've done it. But six years was too soon for him to risk something like that. And Azula had died far before he had even thought of taking that first step.

Zuko turned quickly around when he heard the sound of a footstep creaking on the wooden floor.

"It's okay Mai. You don't have to come in until evening. I know this is hard for you too."

"It's not Mai."

Katara walked in with folded arms. She leaned against the doorway.

"Are you going to make following me a habit?" Zuko asked, sure his words would drive her away. But they didn't and some how he had anticipated that might happen. Instead, she walked toward him until she was only a few feet away from him and right in front of the coffin.

"Only if you make running away a habit of yours. Look…I'm really sorry about Azula." Katara said.

Zuko sighed. "I could've never guessed that I would take this so hard. She always hated me, and she was hell-bent on killing me too." He snorted, "That's the whole reason why we wanted to catch her…for _our_ safety. It's hard seeing her…here."

Katara nodded sorrowfully and her eyes met Azula's face. "She looks at peace though. Where did they find her?"

"She was found in the forest near Roku's temple. She may have tried to enter the temple grounds, but failed."

"What do you think she would want at Roku's temple?"

Zuko shook his head. "I don't know. We don't even know her cause of death yet." He paused then weakly smiled. "But I guess there is an upside to this."

"There is?" Katara asked, raising a curious brow.

"I was going to cancel our trip to Ember Island because I didn't want to leave with Azula on the loose. Now that she's been found, I feel safer leaving. I really wanted to spend some time with everyone, just like we did when we were younger." Zuko replied. Katara met his eyes and then looked down to the ground. "What's wrong?" Zuko asked.

"Nothing. I just feel the same way." The waterbender looked up again. Zuko wasn't sure of what to say.

"Katara are you—" Suki walked into the room then paused, staring. "Am I interrupting something?" The Kyoshi warrior looked at the pair with inquiring eyes.

Katara and Zuko instinctively took a huge step away from each other and managed a grin at each other, and then Suki. Suki folded her arms and glared at the Fire Lord. "Mai told me to tell you that Ty Lee arrived. She's sitting with her in the salon right now."

"Oh," Zuko started, "Thank you Suki."

"Where's Aang?" Katara asked, moving toward the door.

Suki smiled. "Actually, he's outside."

"Oh. Thank you." Katara gently brushed past Suki, walked out the door and down the steps.

Zuko stared at Suki. "Aren't you going to follow her?"

Suki shook her head.

"Where's your husband?"

"He's with Ty Lee and Mai. Apparently he didn't tell me that he and Ty Lee had something going on way back when too. First the moon, now a co-worker. What is this world coming to? But I guess wives are always the last to know these things." Suki said. "Well, I guess I'll head back inside to find Sokka…will you be coming to find Mai?"

"No, I think I'll just stay here for a while. My sister and I have some catching up to do."

"She's a corpse." Suki remarked, rather flatly.

_Must be the hormones talking_, Zuko justified to himself.

"My sister and I had a tough childhood. Being a corpse and all." Zuko replied. Suki flicked her wrist while laughing and walked out of the house.

Zuko turned back to Azula. "But then again, talking to you while you were alive was hard enough. At least you won't interrupt me anymore."

* * *

The funeral was a quiet affair and everyone had changed into white ceremonial clothing. Zuko was frozen to his seat, while the priests circled Azula's coffin rattling beads and holding incense. Everything seemed to blur into each other. The sound muffled, his vision became hazy and his extremities felt numb.

Abruptly, everything went black.

When he could hear again the first voice he heard was Katara's. In between the static in his ears he could feel that she was shaking him and screaming. He felt her hands on his face and shoulder; they were cold. As he regained consciousness, he awoke to see his fiancé sitting on the ground close by him holding his hand and Katara on his other side.

"Don't try to speak." Katara immediately said, putting a finger to Zuko's lips. The Fire Lord used some of his energy to scowl angrily at her. She returned his gesture with a frown.

"Thank goodness you're okay." Mai then said, massaging Zuko's hand softly.

"Is he okay?"

Zuko recognized that the voice belonged to Ty Lee. He hadn't had a chance to properly greet her before the ceremony began and now he had no idea if the funeral was over or not.

"How long…have I…been down?" Zuko croaked. He attempted to get up which prompted Katara to push him firmly down.

"Five minutes or so," The waterbender replied. She put away her pouch of water.

For a minute Zuko lay looking up at everyone and then he suddenly realized his embarrassment. Everyone was staring at him and the many eyes that were upon him followed him as he clumsily pushed past Mai _and_ Katara to head for the door.

Still slightly dizzy, Zuko tried to recollect what had happened inside the room. It was obvious that he must've blacked out but what had caused him to do so? Could it have been the knowledge that his sister was actually dead? That the villain inside his mind and the one who had tried to kill him in his dreams and reality was truly gone? Or was it that he had lost his only sister?

"My family." He said aloud to himself. Stumbling off the dirt path, Zuko found himself heading toward the duck pond, a place where he had found solace too many times before.

He sat at the edge of the water, just underneath the tree and watched the ducks swim toward him. He reached for a bag of crumbs and tossed its contents into the water. The ducks followed the crumbs and began to peck at them.

Zuko perked his head up when he heard the sound of a twig cracking underneath someone's weight. He sighed. "So I guess you are going to make it a habit, aren't you?"

"Make what a habit?" The voice asked. From behind the bushes, Mai emerged with her arms folded across her chest. Ty Lee followed close behind her.

Trying to hide his shock, Zuko fumbled over the right words to say. "Nothing, I thought you were Sokka. He has a tendency to trip over twigs."

Mai crinkled her nose in disgust. "You thought I tripped over a twig?"

"Well, no but…uh…Hi Ty Lee." Zuko said, peeking out from behind Mai and waving. Mai glared at him.

"Hey Zuko! I'm ever so glad you are all right. Katara and Mai were shaking you for so long we could've sworn you wouldn't get up. Then Katara tried to heal you with her waterbending…and we were so--" Ty Lee replied, squealing with joy.

"Good to see you too." He replied, looking away and suddenly feeling very awkward.

"What came over you back there?" Mai said, leaning down.

Zuko shook his head. "Anxiety…I guess."

Ty Lee nodded. "It's understandable. I could feel such a negative aura in the room. It didn't feel right but I don't think anything's supposed to feel right at funerals."

Mai nodded in agreement. "Listen, please take it easy tonight. Get some rest; you'll need as much as you can for tomorrow. Okay?"

Zuko heaved a sigh and nodded. "I know. I'll be up shortly."

"Good." Mai kissed him lightly on the cheek and then moved on. Ty Lee followed close behind her.

From behind the bushes, Zuko could see Katara walking along the path. She looked at him, met his eyes and walked over. She took a seat next to him and stared out to the water.

"You okay?" Katara asked. Her eyes were still focused on the water.

"As good as anyone could be after their sister's funeral."

Katara bobbed her head up and down in agreement. "You had us worried. I've never seen someone pass out at a funeral before."

"I have surprisingly been to only two funerals in my life." Zuko replied. "My grandfather. It was one of the most terrifying days of my childhood."

"Did you pass out then?"

"No, this would be my first time." He laughed dryly.

"Why didn't you wait for Iroh?"

"It would take him at least a week to get over here so I figured I'd just save him the trouble of coming over from Ba Sing Se and just tell him not to come at all." Zuko responded, rubbing his knee nervously.

"You can't just bury someone and expect it not to affect you Zuko." Katara said sharply. Zuko could feel the words cut into him and the truth of the matter, fester in the wound.

Naturally Zuko did what anyone would do and changed the subject. Looking down at her, he noticed that Katara's necklace was absent.

"Where's your necklace?"

Katara touched her neck on reflex and then gradually lowered her hand. "The clasp is broken."

"There's a shop at the edge of the city that sells clasps and items for jewelry. Do you want to go before we leave for Ember Island tomorrow?" Zuko replied.

"Really? I mean…if it's not too much trouble then—"

"It's not any trouble. I'll take you there in the morning."

* * *

At the crack of dawn, the shops began to stir in the town district. Half an hour later, many of the stores were already open and the city core was in full swing. Merchants 

chanted about their wares, farmers vended their crops and vendors opened little booths that were filled with tiny trinkets. Zuko noticed that Katara's eyes glowed at the sight of jewelry.

"Did you want something?" He asked.

Katara shook her head and walked on.

"The shop is over here," Zuko said, pointing at a store wedged between a bakery and a pottery shop. "We'll be able to find a nice clasp somewhere here."

Inside, the store was filled with tiny parts for necklaces and bracelets. One entire wall of the store was covered with jars of beads. Jade, pearl, stone, marble…and even things Zuko couldn't recognize. Tiny patterns were inscribed in some of the beads, but the majority was plain or coloured. Zuko allowed his eyes to wander for a while before he found the tiny niche in the shop that stored clasps and wires. He picked up a clasp with his fingers and walked to Katara.

"Will this do?" He asked.

"Yes it looks perfect actually." Katara said and Zuko walked to the counter. "Hey wait!"

Zuko turned. "What?"

Katara lowered her head. "Let me pay for it."

"I got this covered." Zuko turned back to the vendor. "Excuse me, I'd like to buy this clasp."

The vendor who ran the shop was a bearded elderly man whom had thick-rimmed glasses mounted on his head. He picked up the clasp with his large hands and inspected it closely. "This clasp is made out of silver and plated with 14 karat gold. A very wise choice." The vendor grinned and adjusted his glasses to see Katara. "Ooh, so you must be fixing a necklace for your pretty girlfriend eh? Very gentlemen-like."

Zuko's cheeks burned. "Uh actually…"

"Oh my goodness! The Fire Lord!" The vendor now exclaimed, his glasses readjusted. "Forgive me! Congratulations on your engagement Sire!"

With glasses on, the vendor's eyes were ten times larger than they had been before. Zuko came to the conclusion that the vendor was either extremely inattentive or near blind if he couldn't see the obvious scar. Even without glasses.

"It's okay and thank you."

"If it's all right for me to ask, what brings you to my shop so early in the morning? Are your servants outside?" The vendor asked, craning his neck to see past Katara and out the door. He folded the clasp in paper and then put it inside a small velvet bag.

"No. We're just making a few quick errands." Zuko replied, picking up the bag.

"I see. Please don't worry about paying for the clip. For you, it is a gift. Thank you very much for visiting my shop and I am truly very sorry about the…slip up." The vendor said, bowing his head.

Zuko shook his head. "It's not a problem really, and thank you."

Katara followed Zuko outside and then stared at him with a dumb smile plastered to her face. "That was…awkward." She said, looking over at the other side of the street.

"Stranger things have happened."

"Hey Zuko…what's that?" Katara pointed at a building at the end of the street. Its lanterns were lit and there were many carved flowers bedecking the sign and the entrance. "The House of Cards."

"Oh…that's…"

"Oh God, it's a _brothel_."

"Yeah." Zuko said, a smirk appearing from the corners of his lips.

"And what, is so funny?" Katara now asked, putting her hands on her hips.

"Nothing." He fought back the urge to snort.

"It is a beautiful building though…"

"It's been around for a long time, but apparently they switched owners a few weeks ago. They hired a lot of new dancers and Tarot card readers."

"Card readers?!" Katara interjected, suddenly ecstatic.

Zuko raised a brow. "Yes?"

Katara's enthusiasm visibly decreased. "Never mind," she said. "We should get back to the palace. The others must be getting impatient. Did you tell Mai we were coming here?"

"Aw shi-"

"I'm going to guess you didn't."

Zuko groaned.

* * *

According to Sozin's Comet, Ty Lee is a Kyoshi warrior.

AN: So, chapter three will be up...in the next...bit lol. And holy heck, Azula's DEAD?? Before I get a ton of questions asking if she actually is...let me answer for now: She's only as dead as you think she is. Dun dun dun...

The House of Cards is a _brothel_? It'll make sense, soon...


	3. Ember Island

OMG...A WHOLE MONTH...AND MORE just for this. Anyway sorry for the wait. This is my third installment of House of Cards. Hope you enjoy.

Thanks to the lovely betas: Yurtletheturtle, Hollywoodland and Limhere!

Dictionary:

Dim sum: Chinese cuisine consisting of dishes served from morning till noon at restaurants. Dishes include Shaomai (shrimp wonton things), Har gau (shrimp dumplings), Cha Siu Bao (BBQ pork bun), spring rolls..etc.etc.

_"Throw your keys in the bowl,  
kiss your husband goodnight."  
- Radiohead_

Chapter 3

**Ember Island**

"Where the hell were you?" Mai demanded. Zuko and Katara emerged from outside the palace gate and greeted the gang. Everyone seemed packed and ready to go.

"Sorry, we just went to the—"

"Save it, Aang already explained." Mai brushed past Zuko and waved for the servants to bring the palanquin. Zuko grimaced and kicked a pebble at his foot, turning away from his fiancé bitterly.

"Wait, what about Appa?" Aang exclaimed.

"It's okay Aang, we can take Appa aboard the ship. Ember Island isn't too far." Katara said, putting an arm around the airbender.

Aang smiled. "Okay then."

On the ship, tensions between Zuko and Mai didn't soften. Mai stayed on one side of the ship with Ty Lee, while the rest of the gang moved around the deck. Katara watched Zuko lean on the railing, staring emptily into the water. Looking at him, she felt guilt rising in her chest, and she couldn't help but feel partly responsible for Mai's anger.

Katara walked toward the brooding Fire Lord and leaned on the railing beside him. "Hey." She said, pushing her hair behind her ear.

Zuko didn't respond, and kept his eyes on the water.

"You okay?" Katara asked, speaking up again.

"Yeah. I'm fine." The Fire Lord finally said, heaving a sigh.

"Is Mai…"

"It's not a big deal. You don't have to worry about it."

Katara turned away. "Oh."

They were silent for a bit.

"So…I was wondering…who's going to take care of the country while we're gone?" Katara asked, suddenly curious and desperate to change the subject.

Zuko rubbed his eyes with two fingers and hazily turned to Katara. "Well, I have a team of advisors who take care of my paperwork while Mai and I take vacations. The head of my advising team is the general, Houyi. The rest of the team is comprised of two captains, three nobles, and my personal messenger, Guo Yin. Guo Yin was one of the men who greeted you all at the gate, and he's also the man who's in charge of sending me important news while I'm gone."

Katara smiled. "Let me guess, by messenger hawk?"

"Yep. It's the most convenient way to send messages that's for sure." Zuko replied, finally smiling...even if it was only a half-smile.

"You know Zuko…you should smile more often. It suits you." Katara said suddenly.

Zuko looked at her curiously.

Katara reddened. "Well you know because everyone should be hap…"

"Katara!"

The waterbender swung her head back and saw that Aang was calling for her. She looked at Zuko, turned around and walked toward Aang, wondering why what she had said became so awkward when it sounded so nicely put in her head.

* * *

"Zuko! What did you do to the place?" Sokka cried, running around the beach-side house. He tore upstairs, and then sprinted back downstairs. "It looks completely different!"

Katara stared at her brother queerly and waited for Zuko to respond. The Fire Lord shrugged.

"We just did some renovating." Zuko explained, walking into the living room.

"How often do you spend time here Zuko?" Katara asked, walking through the rooms. All the rooms were different now and the renovations appeared to have been mostly redecorating the rooms. Six years ago, the house was completely empty aside from a few family items. Now, it was bursting with colour and life.

The Fire Lord shrugged again. "Mai and I spent a few summers here."

Katara nodded and admired the new red wallpapering. _Did they tear down a wall?_

Strolling through the house, Katara noticed that the beams had been painted bronze and the walls were either covered in wallpaper or had been varnished again. There were many beautiful paintings on the wall, ones that didn't seem stolen either. In fact, the only thing she could tell about the paintings was that they were painted in the Fire Nation.

"Zuko, did the royal painters paint these?" Katara asked. She pointed at a painting of a great firebird hovering above a pond with a tiny silver-blue bird.

"Actually, I painted them."

Katara's face blanched. "_You_?"

"Please don't sound so surprised." Zuko replied, narrowing his eyes.

"The paintings are amazing…I didn't know you were so good at painting."

"I'm all right." Zuko said again, turning around. He tilted his head back a bit and his eyes met hers. "But…thanks."

Katara smiled tightly. "You're welcome."

"Katara!" A voice called from the back. Following the voice, Katara walked into the kitchen to find her brother wailing. He seemed hungry and Suki seemed annoyed.

"Can we have dinner now?" Sokka asked, pawing through the cupboards.

Suki pursed her lips. "Aren't there any servants here to attend to the whims of the Fire Lord? Poor Katara shouldn't have to cook for all of us."

Zuko appeared beside Katara. "When we spend time here, me and Mai are always alone. There aren't any servants here regrettably."

Katara smiled. "It's fine Suki, it'll be just like old times. Are there any vegetables?"

Nodding, Zuko walked toward a screen door and pulled it open. "There's a small garden at the back of the house now. The caretakers occasionally drop by and water the plants and make sure everything's still living. But since they know we're here, it's all up to us now."

Once Katara had gathered all the vegetables she needed to begin cooking, she noticed that she didn't have a way to light the furnace. She opened the screen door and peered out to see if Aang was anywhere. "Aang!" No one answered. She walked into the common area but found that it was deserted. "Aang where are you?" She turned to the stairs and wondered if that was where everyone was. As she walked up the steps, she ran into Mai, Ty Lee and Suki in their beach clothes.

"Have you seen Aang?" Katara asked.

"He's on the beach with Sokka. Did you need him?" Suki replied.

Katara shook her head and headed for the stairs, exhaustedly trudging down them and back into the kitchen. She then began searching for matches in the bottom drawers.

"What are you looking for?" A voice asked.

Katara didn't bother looking up. "Well I was looking for Aang, but I can't find him so now I'm looking for matches."

"I can light the furnace." The voice replied.

Katara sprung up and saw that Zuko had walked into the kitchen. He was wearing his beach clothes. "Oh, hey. Thank you…sorry that I…"

"It's okay, you forgot." Zuko slyly smiled and moved toward her. "Um, aren't you a little hot in that?" Zuko asked, pointing at Katara's clothes.

Katara looked down at her attire and noticed that she was still wearing her short-sleeved Water Tribe clothing. She had decided to wear a toga and long pants in the morning because it was chilly. But now the material was considerably too thick to be worn on a beach and she had forgotten to change after they had arrived on the island. She looked up at Zuko and blushed.

The Fire Lord cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Well I didn't mean in it the-"

"I didn't take it-"

"Because you know it's fine if you want to-"

"No I should've changed. Because it really is…quite…um…hot."

Zuko breathed deeply. "Right." He walked over to the fireplace and snapped his fingers. Instantly, flames engulfed the wood and the fire burned brightly. He uncomfortably turned to Katara and nodded. Katara cleared her throat and kept her eyes on the fire.

"Thank you, Zuko." She carefully kept her eyes away from his.

"My pleasure." And with that, the Fire Lord walked off into the common room.

Katara heaved a sigh and stuck a large ladle into the pot. She began to stir the soup but couldn't concentrate on what she was doing over what had just happened. But instead of lingering on it, she walked upstairs to her room to get changed. Her beach ensemble consisted of a red silk halter-top and a matching skirt that went up to her knees. She didn't bother trying to style her hair so she tied it back in a practical yet pretty ponytail. Finally satisfied (and cooler) with her look, she walked back downstairs to serve the meal.

At the dinner table, Katara carefully poured an even amount of soup in each bowl, and then placed the bowl in front of someone.

"I really like your outfit Katara. It reminds me of the last time we were on Ember Island." Suki remarked, sipping her tea.

Katara nodded. "Thank you. I forgot to change earlier." She kept her gaze away from Zuko but continued to pour another bowl for him. She slowly placed it in front of him but was careful not to look at him.

"That was a really fun summer, you know aside from being super stressed out about defeating the Fire Lord. Hey Zuko remember when we hid out here and watched the play together?" The Water Tribe warrior inquired, spooning soup into his mouth.

Zuko nodded. "Regrettably."

Mai raised a brow. "You came to Ember Island and watched a play?"

"Yeah," Aang replied, "we came here after fleeing from Azula. Zuko took us here and we sorta just hid out for a bit."

Suki giggled. "Then Sokka forced us to see a play about us that was completely inaccurate."

"First off, the special effects were amazing! And secondly, you wanted to see it too."

"I wasn't the one who wanted to see it the most though, Sokka." Suki replied, slyly smiling at her husband. Sokka rolled his eyes.

Mai looked to her fiancé and then to Sokka. "So what made the play so inaccurate?" She said, wiping the corner of her mouth. Zuko kept his head down.

"Well first off, Aang was played by a woman, I wasn't funny at all, our friend Toph was a man, Zuko died in the end and oh, Katara and Zuko were a coup-"

Zuko pushed away from the table, and threw down his napkin. "I'm going to bed." He took his bowl and walked to the kitchen.

"Night…" Suki said.

Sokka shrugged. "What's with him?"

* * *

Katara walked out onto the balcony and leaned her body against the railing. No one had mentioned the play in years, and it was weird to think about it again. Things had certainly changed in the six years that had gone by. Her mind wandered to Zuko and how he'd abruptly walked away from the table. _That play was all about Zuko's mistakes; he shouldn't have had to hear about it again. _

"This place brings back memories." Katara turned and saw Aang walk over to her and rested his hands comfortably on the railing. A few years ago the railing was barely shorter than his chest, now the railing was below his stomach.

"It's been a while since we've been here." Katara replied, folding her arms.

"Yeah. A lot of things have changed. Things about the house…and just all of us."

Katara nodded. "Six years can do that to you."

"_I_ can't believe Sokka mentioned the play. It just brings back bad memories."

Katara closed her eyes, and smiled. "It was beyond the worst. And it didn't make things particularly easier for us."

But Aang wasn't looking at her; instead he kept his eyes on the rolling ocean waves. Watching as they rolled in and out, pulling and pushing on and off the sand. "Do you still remember what we talked about…that night?"

"What are you…" When she realized what he was talking about, she immediately went silent.

"That was…quite the time wasn't it?" His words were strained and distant.

Katara tried to bite back the memory of her first rejection of him but forcefully acknowledged it anyway. "Yes, it was."

"Did you ever imagine that we…that we would be together now?" Aang asked. His eyes were hopeful and she could sense his agitation and his anticipation for her answer.

"Well way back then no…but after the war, yes. It just wasn't the right time Aang…"

The airbender nodded. "Yeah, I know." Katara rested her hand on Aang's cheek. He smiled and took her hand in his.

"I really can't believe that I actually was threatened by Zuko of all people."

The waterbender gently pulled her hand away and folded her arms. "You were silly and a kid. You thought of the most bizarre things."

"You do spend a lot of time with him though." Aang said suddenly.

"What do you mean?"

"With Zuko…I just never thought you two were so close. I remember when you used to hate him."

Katara looked down. "So do I."

"Anyway, I'm going back inside. I feel sleepy, the boat ride really wore me out." He yawned and stretched his arms out lazily. "You coming?"

"You go on without me. I'll be there in a second." Katara looked out to the ocean and felt the faint salty breeze glide against her skin. Then she caught the familiar smell of burning tobacco wafting in the air. She looked over to her right and noticed that Zuko was leaning on the wall outside, taking deep drags from his pipe.

"Zuko!" She called, waving.

Zuko looked up at her but immediately looked away. The waterbender lowered her arm and looked down. Slowly, she walked back inside her room.

* * *

When morning came, Katara lazily slid out of bed and rubbed her eyes wearily as she looked out the window. The sun was barely up but she never liked waking up too late in the day even _if_ it was frightfully early.

As she walked down the stairs, she noticed that Zuko was already in the kitchen, sitting at the table and sipping tea from a large cup. He was reading from a large stack of papers piled in front of him and making notes on a separate piece of paper.

"Good Morning." Katara said, walking closer to him.

The Fire Lord shook from surprise and looked up from the paper to see Katara standing in front of him.

"Morning." He replied, looking back down.

"What are you reading?" She continued, sitting down in front of him.

"Papers, documents…permits. That kind of Fire Lordy stuff."

"I thought you said you were going to let your team of advisors run the country."

Zuko snorted. "Yeah but that doesn't mean I'm going to abandon all responsibility."

Katara looked away and couldn't help but feel hurt by the biting nature of his words.

"Sorry," Zuko began, "I didn't mean to sound so…"

"Cranky?"

Zuko narrowed his eyes. "Yes, cranky."

"Are you okay?"

Zuko lifted his hand and put it to the side of his head, his fingers rubbing his temple vigorously. "No, I'm really not."

"Do you mind…if I ask why?"

"I haven't received any messages from Guo Yin and he promised he'd send me a report by morning. He's always on time and it's not like him to be like this." Zuko tossed the paper aside and poured himself another cup of tea. "Do you want some?"

Katara shook her head. "I'm fine. But about Guo Yin…I'm sure he'll get something to you soon. The sun rose a minute a go, you shouldn't be worried yet. And besides, you just left yesterday. The city is fine."

"I guess so…"

"Hey," Katara began, "Are there any places in town that sell newspapers like the ones in Ba Sing Se? Or maybe a huge bulletin with news on it? Maybe you could get some information about the capitol there?"

"Well, I think there's a place in town where they post all the day's news. It's in the town square."

"Great, then we should go and see if any news has been posted yet."

Zuko nodded in agreement. "But what about the others?"

"We'll just leave a note." Katara took the brush from Zuko's hand and a blank piece of paper from Zuko's pile. "Do you need this?" He shook his head. She then began to write on the piece of paper. "Going to Town Square to read today's news, Zuko and Katara. Sound good?"

"Sounds great."

The town square was barely awake when the two arrived. Apart from a few beggars and a sparse collection of shops, the liveliness of the city in the morning was drastically different from that of a small island.

"Wow, this place is…dead." Katara remarked, walking a few steps ahead of Zuko.

"There," Zuko pointed to a large board placed on the wall of an Inn. As the two walked toward the sign they noticed that the day's news hadn't been posted.

"Maybe we have to wait for a bit." Katara said, moving closer to the billboard.

"No use in waiting girly, there's no news today. Unless you want to know about Old Man Kwong's new bakery, then there's plenty of news." Katara and Zuko turned around and saw an old man sitting on a box nearby.

"Are you the one responsible for posting news on the bulletin?" Zuko asked, slowly approaching the man.

"Yep. We usually get some headlines from the capitol during the night or early in the morning but the messenger hawk that usually brings us the news didn't show up. You both may have to wait until noon."

Katara turned to Zuko with worry. "Are you okay with waiting?"

Zuko inhaled deeply. "Well, I guess we don't have a choice. I don't even know if Guo Yin's going to get any messages to me by today."

"How about you two stop by at that new bakery? They make a mean cha siu bao and there's free tea." The old man said. "It's just down the street and it should be open now too."

"Thank you." Zuko replied as he and Katara bowed in respect. "Shall we go?" He turned to Katara.

"Sure."

When they arrived at the end of the street, they immediately noticed a large "Now Open" sign propped up against a shop.

"Well," Zuko began, "I guess this is Kwong's."

As they entered the bakery, they noticed an elderly man standing behind the counter reading a book. When the door closed, the bell at the top of it rang.

The old man lifted his head and his face lit up brightly with joy. "Good morning! Please take a seat over there." Katara and Zuko sat down by a table nearby the door.

"It's strange to see such young people up so early. What would you like this morning?" Kwong said, handing both of them a menu. "Free tea?"

"Yes please." Zuko said. Kwong turned around and headed for the kitchen.

"How about we get the dim sum platter? There's shaomaai, shrimp dumplings, spring rolls _and_ egg tarts." Katara remarked, scanning the menu.

"Sounds like a good idea. The price is good too." Zuko replied.

"You're royalty, what do you have to worry about price wise? Don't you just get everything for free?"

Zuko shook his head. "It's not like how it was in the city. Unless you count the dumb play we went to some years back, most of the people here don't recognize who I am. And I guess it's better that way."

"Listen, I'm sorry about yesterday night. Sokka shouldn't have talked about the play. I know it's hard for you to think about all those mistakes…that the play conveniently highlighted."

The Fire Lord shook his head. "I wasn't bothered by that. I've accepted those mistakes…and knowing that my uncle loves me is enough."

Katara smiled. "So what were you bothered by?"

Zuko's face blanked.

"Zuko?"

"Um…"

"Here is your tea!" Kwong appeared beside the table and happily placed a large teapot next to them. He then put two small teacups on the table and poured a generous amount of tea into each cup. "Well, have you both decided on what you wanted to order?"

"Yes, the dim sum platter please." Katara said, handing Kwong their menus.

"Lovely choice. You know it's good seeing you young folk here so early in the morning, I rarely see anybody your age here before noon. The only people I ever get to serve in the morning are the fogies my age." Kwong said, folding the menus under his arm.

"Well, we're actually waiting for news from the capitol to be posted. We were hoping that it would be up earlier." Zuko answered, sipping his tea.

"News huh? Strange, it's usually up by now."

Katara nodded. "The old man who posts news said the messenger hawk who delivers the news from the capitol didn't show up in the morning."

Kwong pursed his lips and furrowed his brow. "My nephew is the one who sends news to the island. Haven't seen him in years since I've lived here but I can tell you he isn't one to be late."

"Maybe the hawk lost its way." Katara suggested.

Zuko shook his head. "I don't think that's likely."

"Well," Kwong began, moving toward the kitchen door, "I better tell my cook your order." He then put the menu on the counter and walked through the swinging kitchen door.

"It seems strange that the island isn't getting any news." Katara said, picking up her cup. She held it in her hands to keep them warm before taking a sip.

The Fire Lord heaved a sigh. "The island does move kind of slowly, but maybe this is just an off day. Some days are bound to move slower than others."

"Maybe." Katara acknowledged. She picked up her chopsticks and began to play with them by making them walk on the table. When she noticed that Zuko was watching her, she stopped. "What?"

"Nothing. It's just kind of cute."

"That?"

Zuko smirked. "That you play with your chopsticks."

Katara put down her chopsticks and folded her arms on the table.

"Well don't _stop_." Zuko smiled, and took another sip of his tea.

* * *

When they walked back to the center of the town square, they noticed that the day's news still hadn't been posted but various posters for events had been pinned up.

The old man sitting on the box greeted the two again and shook his head sorrowfully. "Sorry but the news isn't posted yet. I suggest you two go back home and come back later in the day. No use waiting for too long."

Just as they turned to leave, a pink coloured parchment on the bulletin caught Katara's eye. "Hey, there's a costume ball coming up." Katara exclaimed, pointing at a poster. On the poster was the picture of a lady in a blue mask dancing with a man dressed in red. Carefully, she examined the print at the bottom. "Costume ball tomorrow evening, costume is mandatory, a mask is optional. Best costume wins a prize! Zuko we should attend to this!"

Zuko raised a brow. "Why?"

"I don't know…it'd just be fun. I mean what else can you do here but play on the beach? This will be great!" She replied, a little dampened by Zuko's reaction.

"Where would we get the costumes?"

"There's got to be some store in the city we can find costumes. And we don't have to find them until tomorrow. It's not like we have anything else to do." Katara replied, hardly able to contain her excitement.

Zuko was silent for a while before he answered: "Fine."

Katara squealed in delight and threw her arms around him. When she pulled away she noticed that Zuko was as red as a strawberry-plum. Her own face reddened with embarrassment. "Sorry. Anyway, we should go back to the house. Maybe Guo Yin's message has arrived."

Walking back into the house, Katara and Zuko found that everyone was in the kitchen eating dim sum.

"Hey Katara, Hey Zuko. Come in and dig in! Aang just flew back from town and bought us all breakfast!" Sokka exclaimed, stuffing a red bean bun into his mouth.

Mai shot a glare at Zuko. "You two seem to love morning journeys."

Zuko nervously laughed. "We were just checking the news."

"I know," Mai replied, lifting up the note, "at least you left a note this time."

"Has any word from Guo Yin come yet?"

"Yes, actually." Mai answered. She got up and walked into the common room then came back with a rolled up piece of parchment.

Zuko thanked Mai and took the parchment from her hand.

"What does it say?" Mai asked. Katara eagerly rushed behind Zuko and looked over the paper's contents.

"Everything seems to be fine." Zuko replied, rolling the paper back up.

"See, I told you it'd be okay." The waterbender said, putting her hands on her hips in triumph.

Zuko rolled his eyes and smiled.

"Hey, listen up everyone," Katara cried. Everyone stopped what he or she was doing (or eating) and stared at Katara with curiosity. "There's a costume ball happening tomorrow night! And, there's a prize for the best costume!"

Sokka rubbed his chin. "What's the prize?"

Katara shrugged. "I don't know. It could be food or money for all we know."

"Count me in." Sokka replied, raising his hand.

"Count me in too, it sounds like fun." Suki added, looking to her husband.

"I think it sounds like a great idea! And it'd really help clear up all the negative chi from yesterday." Ty Lee said, squealing with joy. Mai sighed and nodded.

"How about you Aang, what do you think?" Katara asked, putting her hand on his shoulder.

"I think it sounds great. It'd be fun to do something other than beach parties."

Zuko groaned.

* * *

Before going to sleep, Katara had grown used to drinking a glass of water and found that having a glass every night was very therapeutic. This night was no different from any other. As she walked into the hallway to head for the kitchen downstairs, she was distracted by the sound of people speaking.

"It's been a while since we've seen each other." A voice said.

When Katara came closer to the sound she noticed that she was standing outside Ty Lee's room. Through the crack she could barely make out a figure but the voice sounded like Mai.

"It has." The other voice answered.

"I really can't believe you're getting married."

Someone sighed. "I can't believe it either."

"Hey Mai, do you remember when we were kids we promised that we would stick together until we were old people?"

"Yeah."

"Do you…hey do you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"I think someone's in the hall."

Katara held her breath and as quietly as she could, opened the door closest to her and walked into the room behind it. She quickly closed the door and through it, could hear the voices speaking again. "I don't hear anything." A voice said. "I don't see anything either." The other voice responded.

Katara sighed with relief.

"What are you doing in here Katara?"

Snapping around, she gasped when she realized she had walked into Zuko's room.

"Oh um, I was…"

"Eavesdropping?" Zuko interjected, rubbing his hair with a towel.

She scowled at him and placed her hands on her hips. "No. I will have you know I was going to the kitchen to get a glass of water." She prayed to the spirits that she sounded convincing enough. Zuko sighed and tossed the damp towel on his night table.

"The kitchen is downstairs Katara." He replied, sitting on his bed.

As he sat down, the moonlight from the balcony illuminated his back and made it obvious that he had just washed his hair and that was very much wet…and he was very much shirtless. Katara could feel a massive amount of blood rushing into her cheeks and swore she was going to get a nosebleed. _I hope he can't see me blush since I'm standing in the dark…_

"You kind of caught me at a bad time," Zuko said. "If you hadn't already noticed."

"I noticed…and I'll just be…going…" She fumbled blindly for the doorknob.

"Goodnight Katara." The Fire Lord said, smiling.

"Night Zuko." Katara cheerfully answered, finally opening the door. But as she opened it, it was apparent that Mai was standing in her way.

Mai's eyes widened. "Katara?"

"Goodnight Mai!" Katara chirped, rushing past the raven-haired girl and into the hall. Mentally deciding that she didn't need that glass of water, she walked back into her room and sat wearily down at the vanity in her room.

"Hey."

Katara turned around in her seat and noticed Aang had walked into the room.

"Hey." She replied.

"Thanks for letting me borrow your necklace for a while. I just had to get the right measurements on the length." Aang said. He handed Katara her necklace and she put it on the table of the vanity. "What's that?" He pointed at a small bag placed at the edge of the table.

"This?" Katara picked up the bag. "It's just a clasp bought from town."

"Did you think I was going to break your necklace or something? If you did, I swear I didn't." Aang asked.

Katara shifted her weight. "Well no, I thought you could use it."

"That's great, and I'm almost done your necklace too. Wanna see?" Aang pulled out a necklace with a grey ribbon, from his pocket and draped it over Katara's bare neck. The silver of the pendant eerily glowed in the moonlight.

Katara raised her hand and lightly touched the pendant with her finger. "It's beautiful Aang."

"It's not quite finished, I still need to attach the clasp and paint it." He replied, lifting the necklace away. "And…I was just wondering if…you had thought about what I'd asked earlier."

Nervously, Katara turned away from Aang and kept her eyes on the ground.

"So, you haven't thought about it, have you?"

"It's too soon Aang. We're too young."

"But what about Sokka and Suki, and look at Zuko and Mai. We're not too—"

"You're too young Aang, you're barely nineteen. This is a big deal, and I just don't think it's wise for us to just jump in just because everyone else is doing it."

Aang narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists. "Is it because you don't think it could last?"

Katara glared at him. "No, I didn't say that. It's just…just too soon."

The airbender nodded and turned around. "Goodnight Katara."

"Goodnight Aang."

* * *

AN: Did Katara lie to Zuko? Things to ponder for the next chapter!


	4. The Bride

WOW it's been a WHILE. My apologies. To all who still care, THANKS :D! This next chapter is a little short but I guarantee the good stuff is coming. Ive been busy mapping out what I want to do with HoC and can tell you right off the bat who you can expect in the later chapters. Koh, Iroh, Jin, Ozai and the Cabbage guy are all people that WILL be seen in the next chapters as well as a couple of OCs incl. a previous incarnation of the Avatar! Also, for all who are interested, I have posted a **FAQ** in my forums. To answer the burning question: YES TOPH WILL APPEAR :).

Trivia:

Cixi is pronounced, "Ser-si" but you can pronounce it, "Seer-see" as well.

Cameo of a scene from the O.C.! So, I credit Josh S. for his creative genius.

"Li", straw hat.

_Denial, denial  
Your ears should be burning_

_- Radiohead  
_

**Prologue:**

_Capitol, Fire Nation_

Guo Yin couldn't believe his luck. He had decided to himself that he was the luckiest man in the world and he wasn't normally one to believe such things as fortune. That is, until he had met Cixi. Cixi was a courtesan and dancer from the House of Cards. She was refined, gentle and forgiving; three things that all of Guo Yin's previous loves had lacked.

The messenger sat down at his desk, penning a note to the Fire Lord about the latest news in the city. Strange murders had been occurring all over the capitol and many homeless men and women were showing up in the middle of streams face down, with burn marks all over their bodies. Guo Yin had never seen anything like it. As he finished writing, he rolled up the parchment and turned his gaze to Cixi who was lazily reclining on his chair, reading a book in her hand. She looked up from her book and smiled.

"Finished writing?" She asked, getting up and walking over to him.

Guo Yin smiled and held her hand in his. "Yes. All I have to do is send the message now." They walked over to the balcony and faced the messenger hawk.

Suddenly a voice called for Guo Yin. The messenger turned around and saw one of the palace guards in the middle of the doorway, panting and out of breath. "What's the matter?" Guo Yin asked.

"Another body has been found, and I don't think it belongs to a homeless person." The soldier said, gasping.

Guo Yin turned to Cixi and handed the parchment in her hand, "Can you deliver this for me?"

Cixi smiled. "Of course."

**Chapter Four**

The Bride (The Masquerade Ball)

Zuko sat outside on the balcony, taking deep drags from his pipe. Since the rest of the gang had gone out to buy costumes for the party, he was finally alone and able to think. He stopped smoking for a bit and looked at his pipe. Azula was dead now, so why was he still smoking? He wondered if it was the calming addictive nature of the tobacco that was making it impossible for him to stop. _Mai's going to be angry if I can't kick this. _He exhaled smoke through his nostrils and put the pipe to his lips again.

For a minute he mused on the idea that Azula may still have been out there and that was the reason why he was still smoking. That however was impossible, because she wasn't a zombie. Living dead or not, Zuko had lost his only sibling. That was stressful and upsetting enough to continue smoking wasn't it? He lowered the pipe and put out the flame.

Lazily getting up from his chair, Zuko strolled back into his bedroom and closed the balcony door behind him. Sunlight pooled onto the bed and cast his shadow on the door. As he reached for the doorknob, he immediately thought of how Katara had walked into his room during the night. He hadn't expected her to show up, but when she was there he thought he should have said more to her.Shaking the thought out of his mind, he opened the door and walked into the hall.

"Zuko?" A voice called. It sounded like Ty Lee was calling him from downstairs.

Zuko walked over to the banister and noticed that everyone had come back from their excursion. He flew down the steps and walked right into Katara.

"Oh. Hello Zuko." She said, surprised. She took a step back and pulled out a bag from behind her. "This…is for you. Mai picked it out."

The Fire Lord shot a glance at his fiancé and then turned back to the bag Katara was holding. Taking it, he slowly pulled out a red coloured costume. He couldn't make out what it was supposed to be.

"What is it?" He immediately asked, nervously unfolding the garment.

Mai hovered closer to him. "See for yourself."

"Fire Nation soldier?"

"What were you expecting," Mai began, rolling her eyes, "Magical dragon trainer? We couldn't find any costume stores on the island so we just went to second hand stores and the army surplus. " She looked to the ground and bent down to pick up a helmet on the floor. "And you're forgetting _this." _ She forcefully cupped the helmet onto Zuko's head causing the Fire Lord to fall back dizzily.

"You know I have this costume at home." Zuko finally replied, adjusting his head piece. "Looks more authentic too." He put his arm around Mai and pulled her close to him. "But thank you."

"You're welcome." Mai replied, putting her hand on his chest.

Zuko looked to Katara, who seemed to be awkwardly waiting for someone to speak to her. "How about your costume, Katara?"

Katara turned to him in surprise. She dropped her gaze and stared blankly behind him. "It's nice."

But before Zuko could ask what she had meant, she had already sauntered away to Aang.

* * *

At sundown, everyone met outside the doors of the Lotus Flower; a ballroom and dining hall that was owned by one of the wealthy generals who lived on the island, General Hzu. Occasionally he would hold parties at there and rent out the building to paying customers who needed a place to have a party. Tonight, General Hzu was the one doing the hosting.

When Zuko, Mai and Ty Lee arrived at the doors, they noticed that Sokka and Suki were the only ones present. Sokka was dressed in a Kyoshi warrior uniform, as was his wife.

Zuko raised a curious brow. "How'd you get pressured into wearing that?" He asked, pointing at Sokka's make up and then his green armoured ensemble. Strangely enough, it appeared as if no one in the group was even wearing a mask aside from him. And technically his helmet wasn't actually a mask. Where was the masquerade? However, since it wasn't important, Zuko decided to leave the question unanswered (it was all for the better anyway).

Sokka shrugged. "This is actually Ty Lee's armour. And…Suki said we should match. It's a bit snug though."

Suki squealed with happiness and wrapped her arms around Sokka's waist. "And, you look fantastic!" Sokka grumbled a few unintelligible words but couldn't help but grin at his loving and increasingly hormonal, wife. "We all decided to match." Suki said, letting her arms fall from her husband's sides.

"Wait what?" Zuko asked, looking to his fiancé.

"Well, you're dressed as a soldier, so I dressed as a Fire Nation noble." Mai replied, folding her arms.

Zuko puckered his lips sourly. "Is this the reason why you're not dressed up?"

Mai glared at him. "I _am_ dressed up."

"When did you all decide _this_?" Zuko asked everyone, more confused than ever.

"Oh, about the time when you conveniently said you were feeling too ill to go costume hunting with us. We may win the couple's section of the contest." Mai replied, dryly with a hint of bitterness.

Zuko groaned and smacked his hand against his forehead. "Lovely." His interest in the party was rapidly decreasing but when he looked up he noticed that Ty Lee was standing in front of him, partner less. "So what about Ty Lee, she doesn't have anyone to pair off with and she gave her costume to Sokka. Isn't that a bit unfair?" The Fire Lord reminded, pointing a tad bit too sharply at the bubbly Kyoshi warrior.

Ty Lee grinned. "Oh, don't worry about me Zuko. I decided to match my costume with Katara and Aang's!"

Zuko narrowed his eyes. "What? But you're just dressed as a—"

"Well, glad to see that our bride's maid is here." Aang said, unintentionally interrupting Zuko in the middle of his sentence.

Zuko quickly turned his attention to the young Avatar and saw that he was dressed in traditional Fire Nation bridegroom garments. The Fire Lord's jaw dropped a little but his true surprise came when he saw Katara emerge from behind Aang in a beautiful red hanfu with a light lotus print on it. The sleeves were embroidered in gold and the sash was white and decked with symbols of fortune and wealth.

"Katara you look beautiful!" Ty Lee gushed, throwing her arms around the waterbender. Katara patted Ty Lee cautiously on the back and smiled.

"Thank you, and thank you for being my…'bridesmaid'." Katara replied, gently pulling away from Ty Lee's embrace.

"You…dressed…as…a bride?" Zuko mumbled, his eyes as large as saucers.

Momo crawled out from underneath Aang's hat, and rested himself on Aang's shoulder. "Well," the airbender began, "it was what the store had. We all thought it would be fun to match. And it's not like Sokka could fit into a hanfu without looking ridiculous."

"Is that a new necklace Katara?" Mai asked, her eyes fixated on Katara's neck.

Zuko's eyes immediately met the nape of Katara's neck and noticed the new pendant dangling from a grey ribbon. He looked at Katara, eyes wide.

Nervously, Katara touched the pendant and opened her mouth to answer but before she could, Aang interjected.

"What do you think of it? I spent the last month carving it." Aang said, putting his arm around Katara; who now seemed very uncomfortable.

"It's beautiful Aang." Mai replied, with a slight smile

"Well, we should go." Zuko said, reluctantly moving his gaze from Katara to Mai's eyes.

Mai nodded and took his hand.

Inside, the ballroom was bursting with life. The small orchestral band was playing familiar Fire Nation folk songs, and hundreds of people were dancing away to the music while some hovered at the snack table at the back. On their way in, two men and a woman approached them with a clipboard.

"Hello there, please write down your name and your partner's name on this sheet." The woman said cheerfully.

Zuko angrily snatched the board from her hand and messily scribbled his name and Mai's on the line. He shoved the board back at the woman who now seemed a little distraught.

"Suki look, free food!" Sokka exclaimed, pointing excitedly at the snack table. Dozens of dishes were lined up on the surface of the table, and more chefs were walking from in and out of the kitchen, delivering more food.

Zuko took a minute to appreciate his surroundings. The ballroom was decorated with balloons, streamers and tiny masks that were hung from the ceiling and in the middle of centerpieces. The walls were covered in gold, and the floor was a dark cherry wood.

Aang offered Katara his hand and bowed. "A dance?"

Katara laughed and took his hand, curtsying and following him to the dance floor. The small orchestral band played on, happily strumming Fire Nation folk hymns. Zuko grimaced. _ A little soon to be dancing._ He thought, turning to his fiancé.

"Want to dance?" he asked, meekly offering his hand.

"Not in this life time." Mai snapped, moving over to the table. She picked up a fruit tart and took a small bite out of it, keeping her gaze on Aang and Katara. "But they sure can dance." She added, watching as Aang lifted Katara over his head.

"Show off." Zuko muttered, turning away. He blankly looked around and spotted a door at the back of the ballroom. "I'm going to go outside for a bit." He said, brushing past Mai.

She glared at him. "We just got here."

Zuko nodded. "I know." He walked over to the balcony door and pulled it open, all the while fumbling for the pipe wedged in his pocket. He stopped and clenched his fist tightly, lifting his empty hand out of his pocket. _Not tonight._

He meditated on the night sky and how the moon was reflected nicely on the ocean. The rolling waves and the chirping crickets kept his attention, and slowly the chattering of guests and the laughing of the dancers faded into the summer night. But it was too soon for complete peace, even for Zuko.

He heard the balcony door shut behind him and familiar voices teasing each other while laughing giddily like children. He heaved a sigh and felt a hand grab his shoulder.

"Zuko! There you are! We were wondering where you went." A voice said. Zuko turned around and strained a smile. It was Aang.

"Well you know me; I'm not much of a dancer or a cross dresser like Sokka." Zuko replied, nodding at Katara, who had followed Aang out onto the balcony. "But I see that you two certainly are fit for a circus if they ever needed help." He turned his back to them again, now guiltily pleased at the delivery of his deliberately rude joke.

"Aang, can you get us drinks?" Katara asked, turning to the young airbender. Aang nodded and walked back inside, closing the glass door behind him. When the Avatar had left, Katara looked sternly at Zuko. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Zuko replied, a little too quickly.

"What's wrong?" Katara asked again, putting her hand gently on Zuko's arm.

Zuko didn't answer.

Katara let her hand drop.

Finally, the Fire Lord conceded and let out a sigh of exasperation. "Was your necklace ever broken?" His voice was low.

Katara placed her hand on the pendant of her new necklace and closed her eyes. She hesitated for a bit before answering. "No."

"Then why did you tell me that it was?"

"I don't know." She said.

"Why didn't you tell me Aang was making a necklace for you?"

"I just didn't want anyone to get the wrong idea about me and Aang. We're not getting married he just—"

Zuko rolled his eyes. "You have a funny way of showing it." He retorted, glaring at her dress.

"Look, I'm sorry. I just didn't know how to say it earlier."

"How about, Aang's making me a necklace, but it doesn't mean we're getting married." Zuko snorted. "Besides, what would it matter to any of us if you were getting married? It's a good thing _right_?" He turned his back toward her.

Katara's voice thinned. "I guess I wasn't thinking." She stormed back inside, slamming the glass door behind her. Zuko sourly turned around just as Aang approached Katara behind the glass, lips mouthing, "What happened?"

Zuko angrily turned away only to hear the door open again. This time, it was Mai.

"Well, I guess I'm glad that there isn't the stench of smoke in the air but I don't know how you burned Katara." Mai deadpanned, moving up to the ledge. "What were you two talking about?"

Zuko closed his eyes bitterly. "Nothing."

* * *

As Zuko and Mai walked back inside, the master of ceremonies was at the podium on the stage. She was a young woman, not much older than Katara and wearing a slim fitting qipao. She held up a tea cup and began to tap on it with a chopstick.

"Attention everyone, attention!" she chimed, smiling eagerly. "Well the time has come for us to announce the winners of the costume contest. The three categories were best dressed couple, most organized group and most interesting costume." The crowd applauded and eagerly awaited for the MC to speak again. "And the winner of the best dressed couple is...Admiral Shao and his wife!" The MC exclaimed, jumping up and down in mock delight. The Admiral and his wife slowly walked up on stage and smiled at the crowd, happily accepting their medal awards. "Both of you will receive an all expenses paid trip to Ba Sing Se and a complimentary gift basket." The Admiral was dressed in black and wore a blue Oni mask on his face, while his wife wore a li on her head and was wrapped in white cloth and red body paint.

The crowd cheered. Zuko rolled his eyes.

"Now," the MC began, "the award for best organized group goes to...the Avatar, his companion Lady Katara and their friend Miss Ty Lee!" The Fire Lord then found himself kicking the floor with the tip of his foot.

The MC grinned. "All of you will be receiving a gift basket and a lovely redeemable gift certificate from Lau's Bakery in Omashu, Kuen's clothing emporium in scenic Jin Lian, The Ivory Lily in Songlian and The Jasmine Dragon in Ba Sing Se! Congratulations!"

Zuko sighed. _Nice to know uncle's handing out free tea again, _he thought.

"And for most...interesting costume, the winner goes to...Master Sokka for his innovative and..._different_ choice for a costume." Sokka eagerly sprinted on stage.

"What do I get, what do I get? Free food, all expenses trip to Omashu?" Sokka asked, springing up and down.

The MC retained her grin, albeit strained now. "Well...you will be receiving a lovely gift certificate from Zhi's shoe shine shop and a bottomless glass every time you visit The Silver Dragon in Jian Yu Zhen."

Sokka's smile faded. "Wait...where's Jian Yu Zhen?"

"Why, it's a lovely little port village."

"Hm, so is that all?"

She nodded. "Um, yes. Sir, can you please leave the stage now?"

Sokka grudgingly left the stage and seemed to utter a few curse words while coming down the steps, but when everyone had settled down, the orchestral band began to play music again and the couples restarted their dances.

Zuko spotted Katara sitting by the food bar, drinking a glass of black current soda and staring emptily into the floor. Where was Aang? Zuko looked around for a bit until he found Aang dancing with Ty Lee. The level of acrobatics in their dance was enough to put any professional performer to shame.

The Fire Lord moved silently toward Katara until he was only a foot away from her. However, she still didn't seem to notice his presence. Zuko cleared his throat.

She looked up but immediately looked down again, now with a frown on her face.

Zuko extended his hand. "Want to dance?"

The waterbender raised a curious, doubtful brow. "With _you_?"

"I don't see anyone else asking."

"I thought you were angry with me." Katara said, folding her arms accusingly.

"I can let that slide temporarily."

She took his hand and got up. "Won't Mai be upset?"

Zuko shrugged. "I think my fiancé trusts me enough." He then led her to the center of the dance floor, now regretting deciding to dance. After all, he wasn't much of a dancer. The music slowed and the band began to play a slow folk song that Zuko recognized from when he was younger.

"You know, I thought you said you didn't dance." Katara said, putting her arms around Zuko. The Fire Lord shrugged yet again, and placed his hands on Katara's waist, making sure he was at least two feet away from her chest.

Katara cleared her throat uncomfortably.

"What?" Zuko asked, awkwardly rocking to the music.

"We don't have to stand this far apart, we look like we're ten."

Nervously, Zuko moved closer toward her but managed to look even more awkward than before.

* * *

When the gang arrived at home, Sokka immediately walked toward the backyard and dropped himself into the hot spring with Suki and Momo trailing close by. Ty Lee and Mai retired upstairs to their rooms, leaving Aang, Katara and Zuko in the common area.

Zuko took off his helmet and placed it on a table by the door. "I'll go make us some tea." he said, getting up to go to the kitchen.

"Wait, I'll help." Katara immediately answered, springing up from her seat. Zuko nodded slightly and walked into the kitchen with Katara close behind him.

"Mind passing me the teapot in the cupboard behind you?" Zuko asked, pointing at a cupboard behind Katara's head.

"Sure." Katara replied, opening the cupboard and pulling a teapot out. "Hey..." she said, handing the pot to Zuko.

"Yeah?" Zuko answered, taking the pot in his hands.

Katara looked at him for a moment, but then looked away. "Nevermind."

She bended water from a bucket on the floor and into the pot. Zuko pressed his hands on the side of the pot and heated it until the water boiled. Slowly, he picked up the pot and poured tea into three cups on a tray.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you earlier." Zuko suddenly said, putting down the pot.

"You weren't yelling." Katara answered.

"Yes, I was. And...it was wrong of me...to get angry at you...like that."

Katara looked down.

"But I don't know why you just didn't tell me." He said.

"It's...complicated."

He looked at her and slowly hovered toward her. "Why?" his voice was just above a whisper.

"I don't know."

"Hey guys..." Aang said, walking into the kitchen. He leaned against the doorway and looked nervously from Katara to Zuko. "Am I interrupting something?"

Katara and Zuko shook their heads, and the Fire Lord eagerly pushed past Aang to the common room with tea tray in hand. "Hot tea coming through!" He set the tray down on the coffee table, then handed Aang and Katara a cup.

"I like your costume Aang." Zuko said. "Very _regal_."

Aang smiled. "Thanks, we got it at the second hand store. Someone must've been in a rush to get back the money spent on their wedding."

Katara nodded blankly and sipped her tea.

"I like your necklace...Katara." Zuko then said, breaking the silence. Katara looked up at him in surprise but her eyes nervously shifted away to the floor.

"It's got the Air Nomad symbol and the Water Tribe symbols on it. See?" Aang demonstrated, placing a finger underneath the pendant to raise it up to focus. Zuko strained a smile and took a long drag of tea.

"Wow. It's like a party in here." A monotone voice declared. Zuko turned to his right and noticed that Mai had walked in the room. He shuffled to his left and made room for her on the divan. Mai declined, and remained standing.

"Do you want some tea?" Zuko asked his fiancé.

"It's all right, I'm fine." She replied, gently, with an approximation of a what a smile should look like. "Zuko, can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure." Zuko said. "Just a moment." He nodded at Katara and Aang.

The couple walked up the stairs and onto the balcony in Zuko's room. The thick and quiet night gave Zuko the sudden urge to reach into his pocket and pull out his pipe.

"What is going on with you?" Mai asked, suddenly and abruptly.

"What are you talking about?" Zuko replied, slightly confused.

"I am talking about you and Katara."

The Fire Lord stared emptily into his fiance's eyes. "What about her?"

"I don't know what's going on between you two but I'd like to be informed for once in my life about what goes on in _your_ life. We're getting married and this is not how married couples should be like." Mai said, her brow furrowing with worry. "Zuko we've been through this."

"There is nothing going on between Katara and me. Frankly, I don't know why you're concerned."

"You two are always together, and should I remind you that she was in your room late at night when you were half dressed?"

Zuko crossed his arms in frustration. "She was going to the kitchen to get a glass of water and I had just washed my hair."

Mai's eyes narrowed. "The kitchen is downstairs, Zuko."

"You're overreacting."

"No, I think I'm _under _reacting. Most people would've been up to their necks in jealousy by now."

Zuko snorted. "Well, not everyone has such a colourful emotional palette as you Mai."

Mai rolled her eyes and looked down. "And what about today? You flipped out at her new _betrothal necklace_. And please don't think I was stupid enough not to see how upset you were. Then, you dance with her. Great timing."

"Katara is one of my best friends! I thought she was getting married and hadn't told me and I felt betrayed."

"_You_ feel betrayed? Zuko you don't know the half of betrayal until you've _been_ betrayed by someone you love...unless that's just what it is." Mai exhaled an exasperated breath.

"No, that's not it." Zuko softened. "Besides...I thought you didn't dance, remember? Mai...there is nothing that I wouldn't tell you, you know how I feel ab—"

Mai nodded. "I know...about me. I'm tired, so I'm going to go to sleep. Goodnight Zuko." She thoughtlessly kissed Zuko on the cheek and brushed past him. She took one last look at him before opening the door and walking into the hall. The Fire Lord lowered his head and leaned hopelessly against the balcony railing.

* * *

Zuko sat outside in the back courtyard in the morning. The sun was up and the sky was a pinkish blue. Strangely the day was cooler than what Zuko had predicted the night before, and the crisp summer air was apparent as the cool breeze that sifted through the trees. He had a cup of tea in his hand and was mindlessly reading news from the capitol that just boasted happiness and complete social stability. Nothing seemed out of place, nothing was happening. Nothing, except for a possible tear in his relationship with Mai.

But Mai was being completely delusional. There wasn't anything going on between him and Katara. Sure, he may have been a little upset that she had blatantly lied about her necklace being broken but he was entitled to being upset, wasn't he? It wasn't as if there was a reason for Katara to lie, and being a friend of hers gave him reason to be a little frustrated.

"Thought I'd find you out here." A voice said. When Zuko looked up he noticed that Sokka had opened the back door of the kitchen and was standing right outside on the veranda. Sokka walked down the steps and took a seat across from Zuko on the edge of the fountain. "So, what's going on?"

Zuko put down his papers, and placed his cup on them like a paperweight. "Nothing."

"So is that why you and Mai were arguing yesterday night?"

"You heard us?" Zuko asked in shock. _Were we that loud?_

"I was sitting outside with Suki. It wasn't quiet, that's all I know."

"Did you hear...everything?"

Sokka shook his head. "No, but I did hear that Mai thinks you're overreacting about Katara's necklace."

Zuko looked down. "Katara lied about her necklace to me. She said she'd broken the clasp on her old necklace when Aang was actually making a necklace for her all along."

Sokka took a deep breath and threw a stone behind him and into the fountain. "You didn't talk to us much for the three years after the war...before my wedding."

Zuko's head perked up. "But there were just so many things to be done. I had to restore the country, smooth over threats of civil war, send sympathizers to school or to prison. It wasn't an easy three years. It's not like everything's changed overnight. The country's still in repair."

"But you didn't try to write us often." The Water Tribe boy said. "Not even after my wedding."

The Fire Lord grudgingly shook his head. "I just don't see what that has to do with—"

"I know that being the Fire Lord was a big deal for you six years ago and a responsibility you couldn't hide from. However, you didn't have to shut us out. Did you get any letters from Katara? I know she sent them."

Zuko sighed. "I did respond to three of them."

"Why didn't you reply to the other seven?"

Closing his eyes, Zuko leaned back against the side of the house. "You know, I was wondering what happened to Toph?"

Grunting in annoyance, Sokka shook his head and decided to drop the subject since Zuko didn't seem enthusiastic about continuing. "She left to go home to her parents three years ago." Sokka replied, throwing a pebble at the ground. "We haven't heard much from her since. But we got a nice china set from her parents though."

"Why did she leave?"

Sokka shrugged. "I don't know. I think she missed...home." Zuko nodded agreeably and they sat in silence for a while before Sokka opened his mouth to speak. "Anyway how's business in the Fire Nation?"

Zuko smiled. "Guo Yin says the city is doing well. Really well."

* * *

AN: Just who the HALE is Cixi??


	5. Promises

_The Apology_

First off- SORRY FOR THE WAIT. Secondly, I got six and seven done but they need to be edited. In fact, this right here is the unedited version of chapter five and it's very rough and nasty so forgive me =). I just wanted to publish it cuz a lot of you were asking for another update and I felt pretty bad so here it is =). Third, this story is not dead and it never will be. It may take me seven years to finish (okay never that long) but it's got a lot of steam left in it. Keep holdin' on. And if you're still here, YOU'RE SO PATIENT and you'll get what you deserve for that patience. Fourth- Thanks to the lovely betas for helping me for the past few chapters.

_When your mind's made up  
There's no point trying to change it_

_- _**When Your Mind's Made Up_, _**_Glen Hansard_

**The Fire Nation, Three Years ago**

"Fire Lord Zuko, a letter has come to you from the Earth Kingdom." The messenger said, placing the parchment in Zuko's hand. Zuko took the letter from him and carefully opened it.

"Is it urgent?" Zuko asked, halfway through opening the scroll.

The messenger shook his head. "I'm not sure."

"Oh, it's…just a letter from Katara." Zuko said, scanning the writing. Everything was neatly written and there wasn't a spelling error in sight—that meant it certainly wasn't Sokka's.

The messenger shrugged. "The lady seems to enjoy writing to you. Strange, I rarely see you picking up a brush and sending anything back."

Zuko rolled his eyes. "Guo Yin, I'm a little more concerned with the affairs of the state. So, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go attend to them."

_Dear Zuko,_

_How is the Fire Nation? I know that you've been busy so I understand if you don't have time to reply to this letter. It's just that it's been a long time since we've all seen each other and sometimes I'm scared that if we're not careful, we'll forget each other's faces. That probably sounds stupid._

_How is your scar healing? Has the medicine I sent helped at all? I know that it is hard to heal scars, especially if they're old. But on the bright side, I've become better at treating scar tissue and with any luck, one day you can be free of all your scars…we just have to meet of course. It was because of me, that you got hurt and I want to help as much as I can…and to fix whatever wrong I've done. _

Zuko put down the parchment on his study table. He opened the drawer and placed the letter face down in the middle. He lifted his shirt and put his hand on his stomach, feeling the smooth groves of scar tissue on his abdomen. If you looked hard, the scar was shaped like a starburst. He had gotten it from jumping in front of an attack Azula sent on Katara.

_It was because of me, that you got hurt…_

He would've done it for anyone. At least, this is what he had told himself but Katara was the one he chose to be by his side. He wanted her to see how he'd changed, though he hadn't anticipated on saving her life that day. He would've done it for anyone.

In dreams, Katara was the succubus of his imagination. She'd come to him in his bed and lie there, wearing a thin cloth that covered nothing. Even in his dreams he fought to restrain himself from pinning her arms back and tasting her mouth and in dreams did he torment himself by desiring her to start with. Sometimes he would be lying on his back and she would trace her fingers around the outline of his scar, kissing it and caressing his torso. It was enough to drive him insane.

However, part of Zuko understood that this dream wasn't a fantasy but a manifestation of guilt. Even though he believed that he would've saved anyone, he had kept the true nature of the scar from Mai. When she had asked why he had hurt himself, he told her he was attacked by Azula.

This was not a lie. It was at least half the truth.

Zuko spent some of his waking moments deciding that what he was doing was the right thing. Mai didn't have to know why he had hurt himself nor would she be angry if she did know. It was just a scar and he would've saved anyone.

He was certain.

* * *

**Present Day**

"I've got a letter for you, your highness." The mail man said. Zuko was at the mailing post, happily avoiding the beach house. When mail couldn't be delivered by messenger hawk, the letters would be given to the mailing post. Zuko was after all, expecting a letter from Iroh.

"Is it from Iroh?" Zuko asked, taking the letter in his hand.

"I think so. Not urgent is it?"

Zuko shrugged and hurriedly tore open the envelope. His eyes busily scanned the neatly printed hanzi.

_My Dear Nephew,_

_I am so happy that you have found joy at last. I have always known you would find your way. I pray for happiness, love and forgiveness in your marriage. _

_I will be in the capitol city within two weeks. Unfortunately, your father will not be able to attend the wedding however, he has told me to tell you that he has learned more about the whereabouts of your mother. And as soon as you have the time, he wishes to speak with you privately about the matter._

Zuko stopped in his tracks. His father…knew…where his mother was? Six years ago, Zuko had asked his father the same question. Through the steel bars of Ozai's confine, Ozai uttered that he didn't know where Ursa was. At the time, Zuko had thrashed out and accused his father of lying. He would return to Ozai's cell once every day in hopes of extracting the truth but came up with nothing. The nothingness remained until Ozai's release five years later.

The once great Fire Lord and Phoenix ruler of the world now served tea at the Jasmine Dragon.

Unwillingly, Zuko invited Ozai to his wedding. His uncle had told him to give his father another chance and told him that Ozai was a changed man. He had abandoned ruthless ways and had truly begun to embrace the ways of "tea and failure". All the same, Zuko was unconvinced that his father had turned a new (tea) leaf but he did find it comical that his father was a waiter. Although most of Zuko did not want to see his father ever again, his curiousity surrounding the disappearance of his mother was what he desired to know the most. He'd brave the harshest winds and the most awkward conversation with his father, just to know this one truth.

_It better be good,_ Zuko thought. It seemed that he'd have to wait a while before he'd ever be able to see his father again. With the wedding, and a honey moon...then the piling paper work due after the trip.. he proably wouldn't see his father for another year. Zuko sighed and shoved the letter into his pocket.

* * *

"What's wrong?" Mai asked. She and Zuko were sitting on a towel they'd spread out on the beach. Zuko filtered sand through the cracks in his fingers and was looking absently into the roaring waters.

"Nothing." Zuko replied, flicking sand particles from the inside of his fingernails. Mai made a face and lay down on her back.

"I thought we discussed that you couldn't do that anymore."

Zuko grunted. "Right. Nothing you'd care about." He kept his eyes on the water and his fingers busily picked at his nails. There wasn't a fibre in Zuko's body that was paying attention to Mai.

Mai sat up, and glared at her fiancé. "Just tell me already."

" My father says he may know where my mother is."

"Zuko, that's wonderful." Mai answered. Zuko wasn't convinced she felt this way, so he did not turn to her to reply.

"I suppose. I won't be able to see him until...after our honeymoon though." He replied.

Mai let out a gasp, then sighed. "Oh..."

They were silent for a while before Mai spoke again. "You want to delay the honeymoon don't you?"

"I didn't say that."

Mai groaned and turned over on her side. "But you were thinking it."

The Fire Lord grabbed another handful of sand, and watched it escape through the cracks of his fingers. They were like the sands of an hour glass, and the motion of the moving particles captivated Zuko. At least enough to distract him from answering Mai.

"Zuko." Mai said, her voice dripping with irritation.

"I wasn't thinking anything. I'm just wondering what he's going to say." Zuko looked down and put his fist into the ground, feeling the grains of sand pushing into the hole his hand was making. "What if I finally get to see my mother again? I can't even...believe it."

"Zuko..." Mai seemed speechless. She curled herself into a little ball, almost as if she was going to enter a deep meditative state. But she didn't close her eyes. Instead, she kept them open, staring into the ground as if she would find words in the grains of sand between her feet.

"I don't want to delay or skip our honeymoon, but if we could, we could go to the Earth Kingdom so I could speak to my father." Zuko said. "Would you go with me Mai?"

Mai looked at him reluctantly. She was skimming over the thoughts of staying in a rotten old town because his mother may have been hiding there. She couldn't help but think of how horrible of a stay it could've been. "Yes. I will." But her heart, conceded.

Zuko smiled and brushed her bangs away, kissing her politely on the forehead. "Thank you."

* * *

Katara was lying on her stomach in her room. She had told her brother that she was feeling sick, and told Aang she had consumed too many sea prunes at lunch. Her excuse to Suki, was that it was her time of month. There was something that Katara couldn't do, and that was lying coherently. It wasn't as if she abstained from lying or that she couldn't be convincing, it was that when she was nervous, a bundle of half truths escaped from her mouth. But it wasn't like all three of her excuses weren't plausible. It could've been a compounding of illnesses!

Yesterday night, she had completely embarrassed herself by wearing Aang's necklace to the costume party. Zuko was furious that she had lied to him about her broken necklace and that had ended with Mai and Zuko getting into an argument that the whole house had heard. Aang however, claimed he had not heard a thing.

Sokka in particular, did not seem pleased with what he had heard and had given Katara the silent treatment when he came back from the hot spring. He had not given her that treatment since she had knocked over his favourite spear into the water. That was when she was only ten years old. She knew he was angry at her, and it was only a matter of time before he would've come to talk to her about it.

Suddenly, she heard a knock at the door. _Hm, the talk's coming earlier than I expected._

"Can I come in?" A voice asked. The voice was clearly male, and clearly not Aang. Katara feigned a feeble effort to look back at the voice calling her and groaned sickly.

"Yes..." she replied, quietly. When she looked up she saw her brother at the door. "I thought you weren't talking to me." Katara quickly added, still in her soft voice.

"I had to, and you know that." Sokka said, pulling up a chair next to her. He sighed and rubbed his right temple. "What are you doing little sis?"

"What?" She replied into her pillow.

"Why did you lie to Zuko?"

"I didn't lie, I just didn't tell him everything."

Sokka crossed his legs, and rubbed his chin introspectively. "He says you said your necklace was broken."

"Okay, so I lied about my necklace."

"We're not teenagers anymore." Sokka added, quite suddenly.

Katara was offended. "I never said I wanted to be one."

"You can't fool around anymore, Katara. Zuko's engaged and Aang asked _you_ to marry him. You can't play pick and choose now because you already made up your mind."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Katara, do you like Zuko? Be honest." Sokka asked, sternly. Katara had never heard her brother sound so demanding or upset before. The issue wasn't even that large to begin with.

"As a friend?"

"You know what I mean."

"No." She replied, suddenly a little unsure. But unsure of what? She had been feeling a little light headed around the Fire Lord that much was true. But what of it? It was natural for girls to feel a little flirty around boys, especially ones who they had known for a long time and felt affection for. There was nothing wrong with her behaviour, Sokka was just overreacting.

"Good." He stared into her eyes for a second, before getting up and walking to the door. He turned around. "Please Katara, make this easier for him, will you?" He turned the door knob and walked into the hall.

Katara turned onto her back, and stared into the ceiling. _Make this easier_. Make _what_ easier, that is. She wondered if she was going out of her mind. What had caused her to tell Zuko the lie that she did? It couldn't have been affection, she would've known. There was just no one she loved more than Aang.

* * *

Zuko wondered if it would've been a bad idea to visit Katara in her room. It was an hour or two after sundown, and he was getting anxious to talk to her. He hadn't spoken a word to her since the night before and no one breathed a word to each other during dinner. Everyone seemed to have adopted chairs made of needles, and everyone seemed more uncomfortable after every minute. It was so uncomfortable that Sokka eventually walked out of the dining area and into the garden; Suki following him with their bowls of rice. Everyone else ate in silence.

Ignoring the ominous possibility of rejection, Zuko screwed his courage, and walked down the hall, leaning toward Katara's door. He knocked once and waited. She may not have heard him. He knocked again.

Finally, after knocking another time, Zuko turned around and almost fell into Katara. She was apparently, standing behind him.

"Zuko?"

"Katara! Hi." He squealed. He cleared his throat dramatically and stuffed his hands into his pockets. "I was just..."

"Is there anything you...wanted to talk to me about?" Katara asked, pushing her hair behind her ear. Zuko looked off to the side, and then down.

"No, I just wanted to talk to you. We, well we haven't talked to each other all day."

Katara nodded. "Yeah, I know."

"So, um...great meal. I really liked..."

"My sea prunes?"

The Fire Lord gulped. "Yeah."

Katara nodded, paused for a bit and let her eyes wander. "Is that something you want to speak to me about?" she suddenly asked, pointing at a piece of paper sticking out of Zuko's pocket.

"Huh?" Zuko looked down and noticed that a corner of Iroh's letter was sticking out the side of his pants. "N-no but, I may as well tell you. My father says he may know more about where my mother is."

Katara's eyes lit up and she couldn't help but throw her arms around Zuko. The Fire Lord accepted her embrace but as soon as she realized what she was doing, she let her arms fall from his shoulders and took a step backward.

"What?" Zuko asked, a genuine look of sadness appearing on his face.

She heaved a sigh, and shook her head sadly. "We shouldn't be hugging...or showing...affection.."

"What are you talking about?"

"I don't want anyone to get the wrong idea about us. I mean yesterday night Mai--"

"Mai already knows what happened means nothing."

Katara kept her head down.

"Does it Zuko? Mean nothing that is." Katara said, calmly. Even if there was nothing calm about how she felt at that moment.

"I..."

Zuko was speechless. He had no idea what was the right thing to say to Katara. He didn't know what she wanted to even hear.

"I'm really glad your father may know more about where your mother is. You deserve to be happy."

Zuko didn't know what was going on. One second, he and Katara were having the most awkward conversation they'd had since he'd met her again at the Western Air Temple. The next second she was wrapping her arms around him, then she was frigid and cold. Nothing was making sense.

"Thank you." He said.

"I should go to sleep. I'm kind of tired. You should too Zuko." Katara said. She lifted her hand in a weak wave, and then left him alone in the hall.

* * *

**The Fire Lord's Chamber  
Three Years Ago**

Mai was fed up with the house. She was still getting used to living in the palace permanently, and all her things were thrown in disarray in the chamber Lady Ursa used to sleep in. It was unusual for her to live in a place so unkempt, as the servants weren't nearly as fast as they should've been helping her clean up.

"Lady Mai." A voice said. Mai turned around and saw that one of the royal messengers had walked in.

"Yes?" She said, approaching him.

"Your mother has sent you a letter." He handed her a tightly bound scroll, held together with blue ribbon. She took the scroll in her hand and motioned for the messenger to leave.

"Thank you." She said as the messenger turned around. She unrolled the paper and saw that her mother had sent the letter two weeks ago, and was eagerly expecting a reply. Most of what her mother wrote was about Tom Tom's schooling or her father's contribution to the rebuilding effort in Omashu. None of these topics particularly interested Mai, but it wasn't as if she could ignore her family. She had to write back immediately, but there wasn't any ink in her room.

_Zuko usually has a bottle or two lying around in his drawer._ She thought, walking into Zuko's chamber. "Zuko?" He must've been downstairs.

Mai opened a drawer in Zuko's study table and noticed an array of letters scattered all over his brushes and ink trays. A yellow letter seemed to be lying directly on top of one of Zuko's ink trays, and was splayed down as if someone had just finished reading it. The letter was from Katara.

Never the curious type, Mai was respectful of other people's property and rarely ever read anything that wasn't hers. She'd even make it a point not to read anything that wasn't directly _addressed_ to her. However, there was something about the neatly printed Hanzi that sparked a primitive sense of jealousy in her and she suddenly decided she was going to read it.

When she finished reading, she put down the letter and felt a dry rage bubble in her veins. She uncharacteristically shoved the letter back into the drawer and stormed into her chamber. If she had a door, she would've closed it.

A little while after, Mai heard Zuko walking down the hall. He was probably going to go into his chamber or check on her. She watched his silhouette move beyond her room, to his. After a minute or so, she could hear footsteps advancing toward her room.

"Mai?" A voice asked. "Mai...I can..."

Mai knew that the voice belonged to Zukos, but she didn't bother to look at him. She was lying on her bed, back faced toward him. "I'm not, in the mood." She replied, infusing as much anger she could in the most monotone of voices she could find. Zuko awkwardly cleared his throat, and then walked out.

Her eyes wandered down to the engagement bracelet Zuko had bought for her. It was made of pretty red jade flowers and thread spun from gold. He told her that he'd had it specially made her for, and that the wrist size was measured to fit her perfectly. She fiddled with the clasp for a while before she calmly slipped it off her wrist.

* * *

AN- Anyone who wants to read the rough chapter six, just PM me with an email and you can have a copy.


	6. Intentions

Two updates in a short amount of time. My, my this is truly fantastic. Anyway this chapter has gone through a lot of changes and likely will continue to go through many more changes. Well maybe not. This is my LONGEST chapter to date and a lot of stuff goes on. This chapter will likely be the last time we ever see any little forwards of the happenings in the Fire Nation. But do be advised that from now on there will be a lot of shifts from past and present (as seen in chapter 5). Thanks to yertletheturtle for the continued betaing! And Limnhere for reading =)

P.S. : Anyone's who's asked to read the chapters in advance will be getting them before I publish. TY!

_I don't want to be your friend,  
I just wanna be your lover._

- **Radiohead**

**Chapter 6**

Intentions

_Fire Nation_

_Capitol City, Sundown_

Neji had never been to the House of Cards before. He had been to the odd brothel in some backwards part of the Fire Nation, and had admittedly skirted around Kim-Jun's Palace of Paradise in Ba Sing Se, but it was of historic note that he was invited to the House by the owner herself.

Cixi Dizon was supposedly the daughter of a wealthy merchant. She had used the money inherited from her father to buy the House of Cards from the previous owner, and changed the once quite dilapidated brothel into a respectable establishment…or respectable enough for the wealthy to be seen in.

"Beautiful, isn't it Neji?" Dr. Osaka asked. Dr. Osaka was Neji's friend and also his guide in the Capitol city. Though he had lived in the Fire Nation all his life, Neji had never been to the Capitol before and was excited to finally get a taste of his country's culture. Even if it was the "seedy" underbelly of it. "There's been a lot of renovations. Only a month ago if people heard you were at the House of Cards, you would've been deemed dishonourable. Now men bring their wives." The doctor added, pointing at dozens of couples seated at dimly lit tables.

"It is very nice." Neji replied, looking around cautiously. "Where is Mistress Cixi? I thought we were going to meet her here."

"Patience. The Mistress is never one to break a promise."

No longer than two minutes after the doctor had uttered these words, did a lean silhouette of a woman appear behind the curtain both gentlemen were standing in front of. A slender finger parted the cloth and the face of a beautiful woman appeared. Neji was speechless. Cixi had pale skin, and piercing green eyes he had never seen before on a woman. Her hair was long, and worn in curls that draped her shoulders perfectly.

"Mr. Stum Neji I presume?" The woman asked. Neji anxiously nodded. The woman giggled at his enthusiasm and extended her hand to him, motioning for the two men to enter her room. They followed her instruction and carefully parted the curtain. Cixi invited the men to sit on the divan at the edge of the room, then seated herself across from them in a large reclining chair. "Doctor Osaka says you are in the business of mining Mr. Neji."

"Mining for jade and gold, yes."

Cixi nodded. "My establishment is looking to purchase some gold and jade. Embellishments if you will, for the dining area. It would make the House of Cards all the more respectable…dare I say, royal?"

"Mistress Cixi, speaking objectively, the House of Cards is already quite a beautiful establishment without the jade or gold."

Cixi laughed, and poured herself a cup of rice wine. She took the cup in her hand and took a small sip. "Thank you. There is some gold and some jade yes, but I'm looking for more. Wine?"

The gentleman shook their heads.

Neji looked at Dr. Osaka and then cautiously placed his gaze on Cixi. He couldn't help but feel her eyes pinning him down and examining his every motion. She was beautiful yes, but he more stayed in her company the more he likened himself to a fly caught in a spider's web. "To clear the air Miss Cixi, what was your price range for the jade and gold you were looking for?"

This time Cixi laughed. It was long and hearty, yet almost musical. Neji shivered.

"Mr. Neji, I've the money to spend for your jade, please, it is _your_ price I am waiting for."

* * *

Iroh's letter sat on Zuko's desk for a day, before Zuko decided to pick it up and read it again. Nothing had changed (obviously) but it was clear to him and to Mai that his patience was growing thin.

Zuko and Mai sat outside by the hot spring; Mai was nibbling on a fruit tart while Zuko sat next to her, staring stoically into the water.

"I can tell you want to leave." Mai said. Zuko shot her an irritated glare and covered his eyes with his hands.

"It'd be nice if you didn't tell me what I was thinking." Zuko replied, rolling his eyes. His fiancé frowned slightly, and looked away from him. "I didn't mean for that to sound so…snappy." Zuko added, conceding to his own rudeness. But Mai wouldn't look at him.

Instead, Mai got up and dusted the crumbs off her dress. She finally looked at Zuko and nodded slowly, her eyes still avoiding his. "I'm going to go inside. It's too hot out here." With that, she turned her back from him and walked inside.

Katara was on the other side of the hot spring. She was sitting in the courtyard, watching Sokka and Aang practice a dance Suki had taught them. Both of them were failing quite miserably at it, but that had not dampened their spirits and enthusiasm.

"Sokka, stop stepping on my feet! We're not even dancing _together_." Aang screeched, pointing at his injured toe. The Water Tribe warrior did not seem to be amused by Aang's feeble wailing.

"Would you lighten up? It's just a dance!" Sokka replied, visibly offended.

Aang folded his arms and closed his eyes with frustration. Cautiously, he opened an eye slowly and grinned from ear to ear. "I'm just kidding Sokka. You're even better than Zuko."

Katara let out a laugh, the first honest laugh she'd had in a few days. Ever since the masquerade ball, things around the beach house had become tense and stressful. Everyone seemed to be upset at one another, and Sokka had just started talking normally to her again.

"Katara, where's your necklace?" Aang asked, pointing at her bare neck. Katara touched her neck again on impulse, and reddened.

"I just put it down for a little while. The ribbon was making my neck itch." She replied, pointing at a thin red mark where the necklace's ribbon would've been. Aang nodded appreciatively, and walked toward her. "I may have to replace the ribbon if it irritates your skin that much." He gently put his hand on her neck and smiled. "After all, you can't stop to heal your neck ever other minute." He chuckled and turned back to Sokka.

Sokka seemed to be carefully observing Aang and Katara's interaction with one another, and was particularly attentive to Katara. The waterbender knew her brother was going to be scrutinizing her for the next little while, but she figured he would forget his anger soon enough. After all, he was Sokka.

"Ugh, being pregnant isn't all how your father described it Sokka." Suki said, reclining on her beach chair. It seemed odd for there to be a chair in the middle of the stone floor of the courtyard, but Sokka was concerned about Suki standing too often and didn't want her to sit on the floor.

"What did you expect, Suki? Dad can hunt and spear animals like a champion but I don't think he knows anything about being a woman." Sokka replied, stooping down next to her and rubbing her belly. "If he did it'd probably mean he was a woman…I think."

Suki smiled and pecked him gently on the cheek. "Well, he did raise you and Katara so, he must've done something right." Sokka reddened and put his hand on Suki's, squeezing it gently.

"Or wrong..." Katara added silently, stealing a glance at her brother. However, Sokka wasn't paying attention to her anymore, but to his wife.

"What's going on?" A voice asked. The gang turned around and saw that Zuko had come to join them.

"Suki taught me and Aang how to do a real genuine Kyoshi Warrior dance." Sokka replied, feigning a demonstration. Zuko slowly clapped and looked at Suki with amusement.

"How was spending time in the hot spring, Zuko?" Suki asked.

Zuko immediately seemed irritated and fidgeted with the strap on his shorts. "We didn't go into the hot spring, we just sat next to it." Sokka and Aang stared blankly at him. "I mean, we own the property so we've been in the hot spring plenty of times."

"I thought you needed to calm your nerves with the hot water?" Aang asked, raising a brow.

"Look, I can sit a tub of cold water and it'll turn into a hot spring. Me and Mai just wanted to spend time together." His eye unintentionally wandered to Katara, but she wasn't looking at him. Instead, she was staring at Aang almost as if she was losing herself in the shiny surface of his bald head.

"Well that's nice." Suki said. Zuko knew she hadn't meant it in that way but he had perceived her comment to be sarcastic and intrusive. There wasn't anything _nice_ about his relationship with Mai at the moment, and there was hardly anything that was going to be _nice_ about it for the next while.

"Katara, you've been quiet for most of today." Sokka said, suddenly. He rubbed his chin inquisitively and his lips extended into a smile from ear to ear. Katara silently snarled at him then turned away from him, indignantly.

"Not everyone has to verbally execute everything they say, Sokka. Not everyone is you." She bitterly crossed her arms and scrunched her nose so tightly she could've formed permanent wrinkles.

However, the Water Tribe warrior seemed unfazed by his little sister's blow-up. He pressed on. "Usually, you're more vocal. Loud, annoying, kind of obnoxious…a little self-righteous."

Zuko snuck in a laugh. He chuckled softly at Sokka's verbal assault on his sister, and felt guiltily pleased with the way Sokka was punishing Katara for her silence. After all, the silence was burning _Zuko_ way more than it was affecting anyone else in the group. Katara however, had heard Zuko's laughter, and gave him the iciest glare he'd ever seen from her. The Fire Lord swallowed the knot rising in his throat.

"And what, is so funny _Zuko_?" Katara hissed. She made sure he could feel every prickly sensation she'd paired to his name. It made Zuko's hair stand on end and the fuzz on the back of his neck stand erect.

"Nothing." He managed. Smiling curtly, Katara turned away from him and kept her eyes on Aang. Her eyes didn't leave the Avatar until she stood up again, and walked into the beach house. Zuko could tell, that Katara was far from pleased with his behaviour and far from happy with his guilty joy.

* * *

Katara stood in the kitchen for a few minutes, motionless, before she began preparing dinner. She was out of ideas for what to prepare and she was out of motivation to prepare meals. _Why doesn't Zuko just hire a stupid servant to do the cooking. _She thought, even if she knew she didn't need the help and she actually _enjoyed_ cooking. She just couldn't stand cooking if it meant thinking of something to, when all she wanted to do was think about something else. Something that was bothering her.

"Need help?"

Katara looked up and saw that Suki had entered the kitchen. Katara smiled and pulled a chair over to the counter.

"Thanks Suki. I'm kind of out of ideas right now."

"For what, to cook?" Suki asked, sitting down.

Katara nodded and buried her head in her arms. "I really hate this place and spending more and more time here is just reminding me of every single emotion I thought would've gone away after the war. This place just brings back every single anxiety."

"Katara…"

"Forget I said anything…where is everyone?" Katara asked, awkwardly changing the subject.

"Zuko and Mai are in the garden, and Sokka and Aang went into town. Katara, is there something you want to tell me about you and Zuko?"

"Nothing's going on."

Suki looked down. "I never said there was. But at any rate, I believe you Katara. I know you and I know you're responsible."

Katara snorted and let out a sigh. "I really hope Aang orders take out."

At dinner, no one said much. Aang had ordered take out from a terrible Omashu rip-off restaurant and no one was enjoying it. The delicacy of shrimp dumplings had been massacred with tinny-salty shriveled shrimp wrapped inside week-old dumpling pastry. The noodles were too salty and the tea was too mild. Sokka didn't seem to have a problem with the food, and neither did his wife. In her days of pregnancy, Suki seemed to ingest whatever food her husband would give her. Katara however, only entertained the meal by stirring the food around her plate with her chopsticks. Zuko wasn't eating either. His mind was too busy reading and rereading what his uncle had written to him. The idea of going to Ba Sing Se was nagging at him, and the idea of abandoning his situation with Mai and Katara was becoming more and more appealing. Mai was becoming less of an ideal woman and more of a nagging wife while Katara was becoming frigid. What was worse was, his desires for love had began to wander in an unfaithful direction.

There was nothing more liberating, than the idea of running away.

However, there was no reason to run away. After all, he loved Mai and was certainly going to marry her. Katara was his best friend, and she was surely going to marry the Avatar. Nothing wasn't certain. Things…emotions had complicated matters and Mai's increasingly pessimistic attitude toward him had become and obstacle to overcome. Zuko was becoming uninterested with the idea of decomposing Mai's complexities, and most often seemed dogged by the idea.

Zuko was so wrapped in his thoughts that he had forgotten he was in the middle of opening a fortune cookie."Huh." Zuko expressed, suddenly.

"What?" Aang asked, pushing a string of noodles into his mouth.

"Nothing…I just opened my fortune cookie."

"What does it say?" asked Suki.

The Fire Lord dictated from a tiny strand of paper placed in the cookie. "A time is coming where there will be great change. Be prepared. Your fortune days are the 5, 9, 30."

"Change, how very fitting. I thought you'd already _changed_." Mai said, sipping her tea. Zuko narrowed his eyes at her and crushed the cookie in his hand.

"Oh leave him alone, will you? It's just stupid a fortune cookie with a stupid fake fortune."

The table went silent. Everyone exchanged surprised looks, and the focus of attention turned to Katara, sitting quietly, stirring her food around her plate. Zuko was unable to fix his unhinged jaw. Mai sat stoically beside him, seemingly unfazed, but noticeably perturbed.

"I'm going to go to sleep." Katara said, pushing in her chair. She walked into the kitchen with her cup and plate, then disappeared into the darkness of the hall.

"What…just…happened?" Ty Lee asked, a tremor in her voice.

Sokka shrugged, and shoveled a large portion of rice into his mouth.

* * *

It wasn't surprising that Zuko asked to leave the table early, and it also wasn't surprising that he found himself walking toward Katara's room. He blamed his feet for his habit, and he blamed his habitual hands for rapping at her door. He especially disliked the fact that his voice had become accustomed to calling her name, and disliked the fact his ears (and arguably his heart) liked the sound of her name (a lot).

"What?" The voice inside the room said, shrilly. Zuko opened the door and found the waterbender sitting at her vanity. She was staring blankly into the mirror, and Aang's necklace was tangled in between her fingers.

"What happened, back there?" Zuko asked, pointing behind him.

Katara yawned, then rubbed her eyelids wearily. "I don't know. I guess I yelled at your fiancé." She paused for a bit, suddenly caught in her own thoughts. "Well, no. I was just reprimanding her for her dry sarcasm."

Zuko smiled, uneasily.

"I don't know if you've noticed it yet but your fiancé is sarcastic, rude and dull." Katara continued, examining her nails. "And she's quite rude to me _personally_."

The Fire Lord moved toward her, and took a seat on the edge of her bed. "Mai isn't very personable. She's…different."

"I'll say. I didn't get a great impression of her when I met her in Ba Sing Se six years ago, and I'm not getting a great one now. Does she hate me?"

Zuko froze, suddenly unsure of his footing on the matter. "I don't know you'd have to ask her."

Katara snorted loudly, and leaned forward, cradling her head in her arms.

"You didn't have to defend me." Zuko said. "Mai is like that all the time, especially when she's angry at me. She doesn't intend to be rude...and she doesn't try or want to be."

The waterbender let out a breath of amusement but her joy quickly dissolved just as quickly as it came. "I wasn't trying to defend you, it just felt like the right thing to say at the time." Katara replied, blankly. She looked up and looked at Zuko through his reflection in the mirror. He seemed troubled.

"Oh." He said, quietly.

They were silent for a moment before Zuko shuffled closer to Katara. He remained on the edge of the bed, but was closer to her back. Slowly, cautiously, carefully, he extended his arms forward, and circled them around the small of her back.

Katara's blood went cold, and she could feel a cool sensation rising in her throat. Her heart was fluttering. She slowly moved forward. He let his hands fall neatly next to her, and he rested his palms on the surface of the bench she was seated on. He lifted a hand, and let her turn to face him, heart racing.

Zuko cupped Katara's chin with his large hand, and pulled her face closer his. His lips hovered dangerously to hers. With some apprehension, he pressed against her and tasted her mouth, deeply. His tongue tangled with hers, and her arms circled tightly around his broad shoulders. Their breaths came out in short gasps as they fumbled onto Katara's bed. There was nothing they could do to stop themselves.

Zuko's eyes fluttered open. It was morning but as he surveyed his surroundings, he was becoming increasingly aware that he was not in his own bed, but Katara's. Suddenly, a wave of panic rushed over him. He looked down. _Okay I'm just shirtless, good…that's…good._ He looked to his left and saw Katara lying next to him. Luckily, she was fully clothed. Had they…had…relations? Zuko thought, recapping everything that had happened the night before. He had gone to Katara's room, they'd exchanged a few words…and then he'd kissed her and they fell on her bed.

Had he fallen asleep before anything could have happened? There some relief to be found in the fact he probably had fallen asleep, and some disappointment in that same fact.

When he looked down again, he couldn't help but feel the desire to kiss her again. She looked so peaceful in her sleep, and her bare cheek was practically asking to be kissed. _Stop thinking you pervert,_ Zuko thought, scolding his mind. Cautiously, he put his hand on Katara's shoulder and shook it. Katara's eyelids lazily flickered open, and she let out a yawn.

"Zuko!" she screeched with surprise. She cupped her mouth, suddenly aware that she had exclaimed her surprise far too loudly.

"How…did this happen?" Zuko asked, head in his hands.

"I don't know…_you_ kissed me."

"And _you_ kissed back."

"Well what was I supposed to do? _Not _kiss you?"

"If you didn't want me to kiss you, then no you shouldn't have."

Katara rolled her eyes and pouted. "Sorry for assuaging your sensitive male ego."

"We didn't…" Zuko started, reaffirming himself without saying the deadly word.

"No, no…I think we fell asleep." Katara replied, staring blankly into her sheets.

"Wow."

"Wow what?"

"We're like twenty and we fell asleep _before_ we actually _did_ it. Can you imagine us in thirty years?" Zuko replied thoughtlessly. Suddenly the danger of his affair seemed minimal in comparison to his lack of sexual performance.

Katara slapped his arm. "Quit it. Take this seriously Zuko." She got out of bed and pushed back her long brown hair. "You were upset, I was upset, and this whole thing was one big misunderstanding. We fell asleep talking about our memories of the island. You fell asleep before you could go to your room-"

"What are you doing?" Zuko asked, scratching his head.

"What does it look like? I'm rehearsing our story. Now pay attention."

Zuko heaved a long, heavy sigh and rubbed his eyelids. "Should I even bother going back to my room?"

Katara meekly looked at the Fire Lord, then looked away. "I don't know…"

"Well, I have to face her some time." Zuko cautiously walked from Katara's room and down to his own room. He slowly opened the door knob and prayed that Mai was asleep.

When he saw Mai, she was lying on her side and her back was turned away from the door. Unintentionally, Zuko let out a sigh of relief. This, was his first mistake.

"Why do you sound so relieved?" Mai asked, not bothering to turn.

The Fire Lord's stopped mid step, and he was afraid he was going to go into cardiac arrest from the shock. "What do you mean?"

"You haven't been here all night Zuko."

"I was in the recreation room. I slept down there." Zuko replied, slightly stuttering and forgetting the alibi he and Katara had worked out.

"I didn't know recreation room was a euphemism for the waterbender's vagina. It makes sense though." Mai deadpanned, still refusing to turn around.

"Nothing happened between me and Katara."

"Nothing is always something for you Zuko. I'm beginning to believe you think that this relationship is nothing to you. You can't lie to me anymore."

"I'm telling the truth, we didn't…we didn't-"

"What?"

Zuko was having a hard time forming the words. He kept on stumbling over them in his head. "You know what I mean."

"Get out."

"What?"

"I said get out!" Suddenly, Mai sprang up and flung a sharp object at door behind him, grazing the side of his arm. Zuko fled the room and slammed the door. He was breathing heavily and sweat was forming into tiny beads on his brow. He looked down at his arm and with his other hand, nursed the tiny wound.

There was no turning back now.

* * *

When Katara finally worked up the courage to walk downstairs, she realized that everyone was still asleep. She went back to check Aang's room and noticed that he was still in bed, snoring loud enough to wake his past lives. She walked over to his bedside, and knelt down next to him. She reached out a hand and stroked his cheek lightly. "I'm sorry Aang."

As she walked from Aang's room and into the hall, she noticed through the window that Mai was sitting in the garden sipping tea (or wine…). Realizing Zuko's room was in the clear, she walked down the hall and knocked on his door. "Zuko?" There was no response. She knocked again. On her second knock she realized the door was open and the door gently slid inward.

The room looked different from the night she had stumbled in by accident. Everything was brightly illuminated by the sun and the balcony was open, letting to cool sea breeze flood in. She noticed something that hit her foot as she walked in. She bent down and picked up a golden bracelet. The jewels and jade were chipped, a few golden threads had come loose and there were jewel fragments all over the floor. As she got up, Katara's eye wandered to Mai's vanity where a note lay conspicuously, weighed down by a paperweight. Curiousity was one vice Katara could not rid and before she knew it she was holding onto the note and reading it.

_Dear Mai,_

_I know that you're upset with me and I know that you won't listen to any excuse I give you. To be fair, I have not been that honest with you in the past and you have every right to hate me. What I'm doing now isn't going to make you hate me any less, but I hope some time apart will help you forgive me._

_I'm leaving for Ba Sing Se, and I'm going to find my mother. I've waited six years to find her and I'm done waiting. Please don't follow me, I promise that I'll be back in a month. Once I see her, I'll come back and if you'll have me, we can finally be married. _

_I know you don't believe me but, I love you Mai. And I always will. _

_Love, _

_Zuko_

When Katara finished reading, she haphazardly shoved the note inside a drawer and stormed out of the room. He had left them. He had left them all and was going to be gone for an entire month. Not only had he walked out on his own wedding, he had walked out on all his responsibilities as the Fire Lord and the mess he'd left with herself and Mai. _Coward_.

She shuffled back to her room, and lay down on her bed for a few minutes, reminiscing about Zuko's form next to hers and how they'd actually spent a night together only hours ago. It was colder when he wasn't around. _Stupid warm firebender. _Sitting up, she noticed that there was also a note on her dresser. Several notes.

She removed her mother's necklace from the top of the pile (assuming that it was a paperweight) and extracted 8 pieces of parchment with boldly written hanzi on them. Seven of the notes were dated over the past six years, but the most recent one was at the very bottom of the pile.

_Dear Katara,_

_I know you probably read Mai's note. _

Katara snorted. "I'm not that nosy." She was.

_If you haven't, I'll be surprised. Anyway, I know you're upset that I'm leaving and you probably have called me a coward for abandoning all my responsibilities. But I don't need you to judge me. I know that if you knew your mother was alive, you'd drop everything just to find her, so I know I don't have to explain why I have to do this._

_What happened last night happened. I don't know why. Mai isn't happy. I don't want to ask that you cover me while I'm away but, I'm going to ask anyway. And I can't think of any better reason other than, I trust you.  
_

_To be honest, I don't know how I feel about you and I don't know how you feel about me. But in the meantime I'm just going to settle on telling you that I care about you and for that reason explicitly ask that you not follow me. _

_Please DON'T follow me._

_Zuko _

"Well now that you've told me not to, I have to." Katara said aloud. She shoved the note into her vanity drawer and prepared herself to walk down the stairs to face everyone, including Mai.

* * *

AN: Yeah, Zuko just ditched responsibility. He did. The next chapter I realize is really quite jokey. Meaning, it's a lot funnier than I intended it to be. i can't decide if that's a good or a bad thing. You decide.


	7. The Escape

Where has the time gone?! Finally another chapter after months. Finally we're out of the Fire Nation and...strangely into the fire? This is the first non-Zutara centric chapter thus far. Hopefully I haven't lost my readership in doing this but I swear tehre will be development later on. And before anybody asks YES TOPH WILL APPEAR SOON I PROMISE. In fact, I guarantee the lead up to some Toph and Aang action by the end of the next chapter. Well not necessarily _action action_ but they'll be in the same frame. Thanks again for all my lovely readers and wonderful beta, Turtle ^_^. If you want to read my story, please alert me and allow me to make docX exchanges with you!

_The infrastructure will collapse,  
voltage spikes_

**Radiohead**

**7. The Escape**

"Where is he?" A voice asked.

Katara looked down from the banister, and noticed that everyone was congregated at the bottom of the staircase, no doubt wondering where Zuko went. Cautiously, she walked down the steps and was met by the gaze of everyone in the room. Did they know what she and Zuko had done?

"He couldn't have just left!" Ty Lee cried.

"But he did. It's just like him to leave." Mai said. She folded her arms and stared at Katara (who was averting everyone's gaze).

"Where could he have gone? It's not like there's much place to go around here." Suki asked. Katara nervously shuffled her feet.

"He probably went to Ba Sing Se with his stupid hot air balloon." Mai replied, angrily. _Probably?_ Katara thought. Suddenly she realized that she'd stuffed the note _inside_ Mai's drawer so she never would have seen the letter! And when she did find it, Mai would have realized she, Katara, had read it already!

"Mai, no…if he did then…" Ty Lee began, looking down.

"I know." Mai said. "Maybe he never wanted to be married."

"That's not true." Katara interjected.

The disgruntled bride glared at the waterbender. "And how would you know?"

Katara was silent.

Suddenly, a knock came at the door. Katara seized the opportunity to open the door but was surprised to see who was calling. "Hello. We must speak with Fire Lord Zuko."

Stunned, Katara stuttered a response: "He's…he's…ill." An entire royal brigade stood in front of the summer home and three messengers were at the front, the most regal one standing before Katara. She eyed a spacious carriage waiting for the Fire Lord and dozens of carriers standing proudly beside it. She could hardly contain her surprise and the horrible predicament they all were in.

"Ill? Is he alright?" The messenger asked. Mai emerged from behind Katara and greeted the messenger.

"He just contracted a bug." Katara replied, struggling to find a proper excuse.

"Syphilis. From spending too much time with whores and prostitutes" Mai quickly added, much to Katara's dismay.

"Prostitutes!?" The messenger exclaimed, blushing madly.

This time, it was Katara's turn to glare at Mai. _Two can play at this game. _"Lady Mai is simply teasing you. Someone as honourable as Zuko would never lie with anyone other than his fiancé ."

"So if he were to have gotten syphilis then he would contracted it from—"

"That's enough." Mai interrupted the Messenger's train of thought and snatched the parchment clutched in his hand. "I demand to know the meaning of this unannounced intrusion on our vacation."

"Lady Mai, there has been terrible unrest and upheaval in the Fire Nation. Guo Yin has been diligently sending messages to the Fire Lord but we have not received a single reply from him."

Mai for once, seemed shocked. "Zuko has been sending messages to the capitol every night."

"We haven't received any word from him that is why we must speak to him immediately. Now please, let us through." The Messenger insisted, trying to push his way past Katara and Mai.

"No! He's…he's very contagious." Katara screeched. "It's…likely something very serious. He's been coughing and hacking all night. It could be…" She leaned toward the Messenger and whispered: "Chicken-pig flu."

"Oh dear me! Not Avian-swine influenza?!"

"Oh…but it is." Katara continued.

"We must have a physician attend him immediately!"

"No! Um…the…the…the Avatar is attending to him!" Katara answered swiftly, dragging Aang out from behind her. Aang muttered a quiet, "I am?" But Katara quickly silenced him as he stood before the confused Messenger.

"Um yes, I, the great Avatar am treating the Fire Lord for his Chicken-pig flu."

As if on cue, all the royal attending fell to their knees and hailed the Avatar. The Messenger looked up. "Oh great Avatar, when do you expect the Fire Lord to be treated from this horrible illness?"

"Um…it will be a long and tiresome recovery but…how about…"

Katara drew close to him and whispered in his ear.

"A month!" Aang exclaimed.

" Great Avatar, please, we cannot wait a month! The Fire Lord _must_ come with us." The messenger pleaded. He got up from the ground and put his hands together in desperation. "Please Avatar!"

"SILENCE!" A voice growled from behind the door.

Everyone turned around and noticed a figure clouded in darkness emerge from the common room. There was a veil over his head and he was wearing the Fire Lord's robe. Katara palmed her forehead.

"I, THE GREAT FIRE LORD ZUKO, WILL COME WITH YOU. ON THE CONDITION, THAT YOU DO NOT REMOVE MY VEIL FOR I AM VERY, VERY, VERY CONTAGIOUS. And I sound funny because I am sick." The booming voice continued. "ALSO, NO ONE MAY TREAT ME EXCEPT THE AVATAR."

" Thank you sire for being so understanding!" The messenger exclaimed, nodding his head happily.

Mai rolled her eyes and followed her "fiancé" to the carriage, with Suki and Ty Lee trailing behind her. The head carrier asked Suki to stop. "Excuse me, who is this in your party Fire Lord?"

"SHE…SHE…SHE IS…MY…MY…"

"Concubine." Mai added. "She's his concubine."

"BUT NOTHING PAST THE BELT NO. NEVER. SHE JUST…DANCES."

"Sire is your concubine…pregnant?" The carrier observed, noticing the ever so slight bump of Suki's belly.

"Oh I see, you think I'm _fat_?" Suki demanded, pushing her face into that of the carrier's. She began to roll up her sleeves.

Noticing this, the carrier stammered, "N-no miss."

"Good." Suki replied, and she continued on into the carrier.

"I'll follow you back to the capitol on my air bison." Aang said. The messenger bowed and at once, the entire royal party set off for their journey back to the Royal city.

"Katara we should…" Aang looked around and noticed he was talking to no one. "Katara? Katara!"

* * *

**One Week Later  
Ba Sing Se  
The Jasmine Dragon**

It had been week since Zuko had left everyone back on Ember Island. He figured since he had a few weeks left on his vacation he'd use those weeks to find his mother. It's not as if anything was happening in the Fire Nation anyway. All Guo Yin could talk about was how beautiful his girlfriend was and anecdotes about Chancellor Wu: from having his dog bite off his little toe to getting his head piece stuck in a bird's nest. Zuko knew what he was doing was irresponsible and admittedly reckless but he was determined to find his mother by any means necessary, even if that meant abandoning the country for three or four weeks.

As he approached his uncle's tea shop, he readied himself to meet his estranged father and get some deserving backlash from his uncle (who was probably getting ready to leave the country for _his_ wedding). _Okay you can do this. You can face your father._

"Welcome to the Jasmine Dragon." A familiar voice said. Zuko's heart stopped. "Zuko?" The man asked.

"Father…?" Zuko carefully surveyed his father's appearance. For one thing, Ozai was wearing a green robe and carrying a tray full of tea cups. In addition to that, Ozai was wearing a shiny green silk apron with floral patterning. _Floral silk?!_

"Zuko!?" Another voice cried. It was uncle Iroh. Iroh stepped out from behind the curtains of the kitchen, and into the main dining area. His uncle's expression was a mix of joy and abject surprise. "What on Earth are you doing here? You're getting married in two weeks!"

"Uh, yeah…about that…" Zuko replied.

"We will talk about that later for now…Free drinks! My nephew has arrived for a visit!" Iroh shouted. At once the patrons of the Jasmine Dragon stood up excitedly and raised their cups in the air.

Zuko smiled. "Wow."

When everyone had settled down, Iroh pulled Zuko aside for a private chat. It was obvious that Iroh seemed very concerned at the fact Zuko was in the Earth Kingdom and not in the Fire Nation with his fiancé.

"What happened?" Iroh asked.

"Nothing. Nothing happened."

"Then why are you here, and not with Mai?"

Zuko heaved an exasperated sigh. "I just want to talk with father. I need to know."

"Could it have not waited till after the wedding?"

"No."

"Tea?" Iroh asked, pouring his nephew a cup. Zuko reluctantly took the cup from his uncle and drank from it as if it were a shot of rice wine. "Nephew, you seem disheartened. Please tell me if something happened between you and Mai?"

Zuko could not hide his shame any longer. "Yes. And as of now, the wedding is canceled."

"Canceled? But I booked a ship ticket for the day after tomorrow!"

"Sorry Uncle. I'm really sorry. I failed you again."

"Me? Zuko, your decision to cancel the wedding is of your own and I trust your judgment."

Zuko looked up. "You do? But Uncle I've made a mess of everything. I've abandoned my country, my fiancé…my friends…"

Iroh rested a hand on Zuko's shoulder. "You've worked out your own problems in the past and you have been the Fire Lord for six years. A truly daunting task, wouldn't you say? You are not sixteen anymore Zuko, have faith in yourself because you will figure this out."

"I…I guess." Zuko replied, still unsure of himself. _I hope_.

"Lee!" A voice cried.

Zuko looked up again and noticed a familiar face staring back at him. "Jin! Wow I haven't seen you in…"

"Three years. How have you been?"

"Good." Zuko replied, scratching his head.

Iroh smiled. "I'll leave you two to get reacquainted."

"You still come to the Jasmine Dragon, I see."

Jin smiled. "Only three times a month. When I'm in town."

"You…don't live in the city anymore?" Zuko asked.

"No. I moved out to the countryside a year ago. It's a lot quieter out there and a lot less crowded. I guess I needed a change of scenery. How about you, where have you been?"

"A..around. You know. I moved back to my old house…"

Jin nodded and let out a laugh. "Lee you don't have to pretend, I know you're the Fire Lord."

"Y-you do?!" Zuko exclaimed. Zuko quickly turned back to the bar to glare at his uncle but Iroh had already covertly moved to another table and was flirting loudly with a customer.

"Your Uncle's mentioned it a few times since I've been here, and that wall of News clippings helped." Jin replied, pointing to an enormous board full of newspaper clippings about the Fire Lord, the Fire Nation and a crudely drawn picture of him and Mai in bridal garments. Zuko's jaw dropped slightly.

"Jin, I would have told you before…"

"It's okay_, Lee_."

Zuko couldn't help but smile.

* * *

"Are you excited for your 'date'?" Iroh asked, placing a dish into a sink full of water.

"It's not a date. We're just going out to dinner—just like we did when we were teenagers." Zuko said, fixing up his jacket.

"Going to the Lotus Lily, the most _romantic_ restaurant in town? Hardly a date, is it Zuko?" Iroh replied, smirking. Zuko rolled his eyes and continued to primp his hair. He frowned. It _was_ getting too long.

"Well, I'm off for the night. When will you be in tonight?" Ozai asked, walking into the kitchen. Zuko averted his father's gaze.

"I'll be home in half an hour or so. I still have to prepare a few pastry dishes for tomorrow morning's customers. Will you be meeting Ka Mun tonight?" Iroh asked.

"Yes," Ozai replied nervously looking at Zuko, "tonight she's off early and we decided we'd be going to the Lotus Lily."

Zuko froze.

"Better not, your son has a date there." Iroh said, elbowing Zuko.

"A date?" Ozai asked. "With Mai?"

"No. With Sa Yun's girl, Jin."

"Oh yes, her. Well, I best tell Ka Mun that we'll have to go somewhere else." Ozai replied, looking at Zuko again. "Goodnight."

"Wait, father-"

Ozai stopped, and turned around. "Yes?"

"We need to talk about…mother."

The Former Fire Lord nodded solemnly. "Yes, we will. Tomorrow. Goodnight brother, Zuko."

"Goodnight, father." Zuko raised his hand in a slight wave, then let his arm fall limply by his side.

It was the first time Zuko had gone out without Mai, in a very long time. The last time he had been on his own was when Sokka and Suki married three years ago. _Three years, _Zuko thought, sighing. Out of all the things he thought he'd be doing in three years, he never thought he'd be going out to dinner with Jin—again.

When Zuko reached the entrance of the Lotus Lily, he saw that Jin was already there waiting for him. She had her hair neatly pinned back and was wearing a pretty pink qipao. As he approached her, she turned her head and immediately greeted the Fire Lord with a warm smile.

"Hey there, you look good." Jin said, looking Zuko up and down. "I like your hair. Your uncle didn't style it for you, did he?"

Zuko snorted. "Ha. You…you look really nice."

Jin smiled again. "Thanks. Shall we?"

As they entered the restaurant, it was apparent to Zuko that Iroh hadn't been wrong. The Lotus Lily probably was the most romantic restaurant in the city. Most of the tables only seated two people, and almost everything was lit by candle.

"So, how have you been?" Jin started.

"Good. How about you?" Zuko asked.

"Good. But, what I'm really curious about is what brought you to the Earth Kingdom this time around? The last time I saw you, you had come back for a friend's wedding?"

Zuko nodded and took a sip of his tea. "Yeah. Sokka and Suki's wedding."

"I also heard that you were also getting married this year." Jin replied.

"Those plans have changed. Me and my fiancé are spending some time apart."

"Oh. Anything serious?"

"I don't know. I just know we're not getting married as of now."

"Lee, I hope you don't find _this_ awkward…" Jin began, taking Zuko's hand. But the Fire Lord merely shook his head, and looked down.

"It's really nothing. It's…complicated."

A smirk appeared on Jin's face. "You know, I've heard that line before."

Zuko grinned.

Then there was a long silence between the two of them where they just looked down at their plates and pushed their food around with their chopsticks. Dishes came and went but words didn't form between them. Finally, Jin broke the silence by clearing her throat.

"Lee…"

"Yes?" Zuko asked, suddenly alert.

"When you told me things were complicated way back when…did you mean that…things were complicated between you and that girl, Mai?"

Zuko shifted uncomfortably in his seat and took a sip of his tea. "I…"

"it's okay if you don't have an answer to that..."

"To be honest Jin, I hadn't even thought of Mai until I saw her again then things just well you know, clicked." Zuko replied, shrugging a little.

"Clicked?"

"Yes."

"Oh."

"I never meant to hurt you even a little by— "

Jin smiled. "Lee you didn't hurt me. That question's just been on my mind for a really long time."

As they sunk back into the silence they were accustomed to, Zuko scanned the questions that loomed in his mind. The fact of the matter was, he hadn't thought of Mai until she'd shown up in Ba Sing Se and how he'd left Jin hanging like a loose thread. He remembered the last time he'd seen Jin; it was when he had come back from chasing Mai, kissing her then returning to see Jin sitting like a lone turtle duck on the edge of the fountain.

If he had kissed Jin and had not back away that night, would things have turned out differently? There certainly wouldn't be an angry fiancé and scorned best friend to worry about.

"I'm sorry that I left you hanging like that."

"Hanging like what?"

"When I left you at the fountain to catch Mai."

Jin snorted. "I can't believe you remembered that."

"Neither can I to be honest."

"You don't have to be sorry Lee, but I'm glad you came back. I'm glad we're finishing our 'date'." Jin replied.

And with that, they went back to the silence of which they were accustomed to.

* * *

After dinner, Jin and Zuko took a stroll in the night market. During the summer, many vendors would flock to Ba Sing Se for their annual night market. Various things from combs to swords would be on sale for discounted prices and the vendors would open shop at sundown and closedown a few hours before sunrise.

"You know, my name's not Lee." Zuko said as they passed by a fried fish vendor.

Jin smiled, and linked her arm through his. "I know. But you're Lee, and you always will be to me_,_ _Zuko._"

"You are _Jin_ though right?" Zuko asked, cautiously.

She rolled her eyes and took Zuko's hand. "Come on, let's go buy some ice cream."

"Two ice cream waffles please." Zuko said to the vendor, handing him twenty Yuan. The vendor took the money from Zuko with his left hand, while pouring batter into an iron with his other hand. The iron sizzled and instantly created a mottled waffle shape.

"I never thought that we'd get to spend time together again like this." Jin said, suddenly.

Zuko took the ice cream waffles from the vendor and handed one to Jin. "I never thought we would either."

"So tell me, why did you leave your fiancé?"

Zuko's eyes bulged and he turned away from Jin to hide his expression. "I…it's…it's just complicated. I'd rather not talk about it."

Jin nodded, and smoothed out a wrinkle in her dress. "I see."

"If you want to talk about it tomorrow or next week I might be able to tell you then." Zuko added, suddenly feeling guilty.

But the girl shook her head and looked into the distance, casually digging her spoon into the ice cream. "I'm not going to be in town after tomorrow."

"Why not?" Zuko asked, suddenly curious again as to why Jin had moved.

Sighing, Jin put down her waffle and clasped her hands together. "I haven't been completely honest with you. The reason why I moved out of town is because I'm married." Jin said, keeping her eyes fixed on the ground.

"Married? When?"

"A year ago I met a farmer from Hao Ten, just outside of Ba Sing Se. I married him a few months after. Three times a month we come back to the city to sell our crops and after tomorrow we're going home." She kept her head down.

"Jin…"

"If you're ever in the Earth Kingdom again, please visit me. Our farm is right outside Hao Ten in Hou Nian. I think my husband would be really happy to meet you."

Zuko nodded. "It's a promise."

The moon was shining brightly as Zuko exited his uncle and father's house to sit on the front steps. The house was located in the mercantile quarter of Ba Sing Se, and there were always a lot of people standing around even in at night. Slowly, Zuko pulled his pipe out from his coat pocket and ignited the tobacco inside with his finger.

Out of the corner of his eye, Zuko noticed that his father was walking home with someone. _Must be this Ka Mun woman_, Zuko decided.

"Zuko. What are you doing here so late?" Ozai asked as he approached with the woman.

Zuko shrugged and exhaled a breath of smoke. "I could ask the same to you."

For the first time in Zuko's life, he saw his father blush. There were rare times when Ozai would let anyone in his family see vulnerability or weakness, and this was one of those rare occasions.

"Nevermind." Ozai replied. He cleared his throat.

"I best be going home now, I had a wonderful evening." The woman said, and she walked off across the street and into the house directly across from them.

"Is that your girlfriend?" Zuko asked. Once upon a time he would have never imagined he'd work the nerve to question his father in again, let alone question the fact his father was _dating_. Truth be told, he hated the fact that his father was seeing someone else as if Ursa hadn't mattered at all. Had she? He had been willing to give her up if it meant he could have been Fire Lord. He hadn't batted an eyelash at the thought that his son would've died. No that was for the mother to worry about, a father had no need to worry of such things.

"In a matter of speaking, I suppose." Ozai replied, taking a seat next to his son. "How was your date?"

"I found out she was married." Zuko replied, taking another drag from his pipe.

"Oh. How unfortunate." Ozai said.

Zuko sighed and exhaled through his nose. "Yeah."

"I didn't know you began smoking." Ozai noted, putting his hands together nervously.

Zuko leaned back and took another drag from his pipe. "It's not every year your sister dies."

"I'm sorry about Azula. Your uncle and I were very upset when we read your letter. And we were disappointed that we could not be at the funeral." Ozai started, looking up at his son.

Zuko didn't turn to look at him. "Thank you."

"I suppose you want to know about your mother." The former Fire Lord declared, folding his arms.

There was no use denying the truth. "Where is she?"

"The last I heard, she was in Hao Ten."

"Hao Ten? Isn't near Hou Nian?" Zuko exclaimed.

Ozai nodded, somewhat surprised. "But I don't know where she is in Hao Ten. She's also changed her name."

"How do you know all this?"

Zuko's father let out a sigh, and rested his head on his hand. "I overheard a group of women from Hao Ten talking about a woman named Chi-Lin. Apparently Chi-Lin moved into the village fifteen years ago. Your mother told me that she was leaving for the Earth Kingdom, but she never told me where she was going. All I knew was that she would take the name of one of her relatives and as soon as I heard those women speak I knew Ursa had taken her grandmother's name."

"How long ago was this?"

"Two years ago."

"Two years ago? And you didn't bother telling me until now!" Zuko cried, standing up in anger.

Ozai didn't seemed fazed by his son's sudden outburst and kept his gaze forward. "I don't know if you recall, but you refused to speak to me for the last five years."

Zuko kicked a pebble off the step and angrily put out his pipe. "What kind of sorry excuse is that? I dropped everything just to talk to you _now_ and years have passed since you were in prison. Did you really think me talking to you would have been that big of a problem if it meant knowing where my mother was?"

Ozai remained silent.

"I would have left my friends, my responsibilities, my country—_my everything_ just to know. So why did you wait?" Zuko stared at his father, waiting for him to turn his head but Ozai never did. Instead, he kept his head down and his hands firmly grasping his knees.

"You're a coward. You didn't want to face me because of your own stupid pride." Zuko said. He felt as if words were shooting out of his mouth, raising from the depths of his gut almost involuntarily. "I would have braved everything, even talking to _you_ just to know where she was!" Zuko took a deep breath and tried his best to conceal the tears begging to pour of out of his eyes. He rubbed away the tears with his shirt sleeve, and then massaged his trembling eyelids.

"I'm sorry." Ozai finally said. He cautiously took a look at his son, but then quickly turned away.

Zuko sniffed, and then let out an apathetic snort. "You're not and you never have been." And with that, the Fire Lord turned away and rushed inside the house, making sure to slam the door behind him.

* * *

Ozai waited a few minutes before walking into the house. He wanted to make sure Zuko was upstairs and in the guest room before he even attempted to go back in. When he thought enough time had elapsed, he walked up the steps and opened the door.

"Younger brother, you're home." Iroh chirped, putting a cloth over a plate of leftovers. "Was your night with Ka Mun, well?"

Ozai nodded then made to turn for his room but stopped as a towel whipped across his open door. The towel seemed to be attached to his brother's hand.

"You need to speak with your son." Iroh firmly said, standing between his brother and the door to safety.

"I think Zuko has made it clear that he has no interest in speaking to me," Ozai replied calmly. "possibly ever again."

"Zuko needs to know why it is you have told him now, and why you did not contact him earlier."

Ozai snorted, and folded his arms in frustration. "Didn't you hear what my son said? It's because I am a coward, now let me sleep Iroh!"

Iroh put both his hands on the door frame to make a human blockade. "I also heard something else your son said. Ozai, you are a man of immense pride and honour. You must show humility when it is required of you or you will never be able to have peace in your life."

Ozai rolled his eyes. "Let me sleep, older brother."

Iroh let his arms fall to his sides, and let out a heavy sigh. "Pride has made you unable to see clearly. It led to your downfall as leader of the Fire Nation, and it has created an immense rift in your relationship with your son. If you do not seek humility, you will never be able to love him."

"I told him I was sorry! What more can you ask from me? I seldom ever utter the word! _Is that not humility_?" Ozai shouted.

"An apology is _not_ what Zuko needs to hear!" Iroh answered, pressing a finger into Ozai's chest. "I know that you are quite aware of what Zuko needs to hear, but it is your _pride_ that is stopping you from saying it. Now will you go upstairs, and speak to your _son_ like the _man_ he deserves to be treated as?"

"It…it cannot be done."

"Then I am done wasting words with you." And with that, Iroh walked away into the dim light of the kitchen. "Goodnight, brother."

* * *

AN: Now, I wonder how the "Fire Lord" is going to keep up his charade?


End file.
